The Hybrid II
by ThePurplePyroHedgie
Summary: [Sequel to "The Hybrid"] Several months after Mephiles was put down for good, Amy and Shadow now happily live together as they raise and protect Faith. However, when old and new enemies start popping up into their lives again, Shadow and his family must find a way to stop the threats once and for all. [Artwork belongs to Myly14. I commissioned her for the piece, so do not use!]
1. All in The Family

AN: Sorry I took so long to finally upload. I will admit, I did lose a bit of interest in writing this story after I finished LMSR. I've also just recently become addicted to Naruto/Naruto Shippuden which has taken up much of my free time, lol. I'm officially a part of that fandom now! Hope you enjoy the first chapter. Expect to not see as frequent steady updates. I hope you enjoy.

•~•

A pink blur whizzed through the woods, desperately trying to escape and outrun her pursuer. She dodged oncoming trees, and low-lying branches before coming to a stop behind a large, fallen, tree. It was none other than Amy Rose as she sat behind the tree trunk, trying to catch her breath. She had been using her vampire agility to avoid her enemy for some time now but had burned up a lot of energy working on her evasion. While she caught her breath, she turned her head to discreetly look behind her, hoping she had lost her assailant.

Seeing and hearing nothing in sight, she let out of a sigh of relief as a reward, but before she could celebrate for too long, her heightened vampire hearing picked up footsteps coming from the distance. She froze, keeping very still as fear coursed through her. Quietly, she lay on her side, praying her enemy wouldn't find her. Anticipation rose as she heard his shoes crunching on top of the dead leaves that had fallen from the trees above. Suddenly, the footsteps ceased momentarily, making her heart race even faster. Why had they stopped? Did they see her—had they given up?

After an agonizingly long moment, the footsteps continued but walked away from her. Believing they had left, Amy slowly sat upright before finally standing. She looked around her vicinity not seeing a soul in sight. Feeling triumphant, Amy began to make her way in the opposite direction until a strong force knocked her down onto her back. It was so fast, that she hadn't even seen the face of her attacker until she opened her eyes to look up at the one pinning her down by the wrists above her head. "I win again," a smooth and masculine voice spoke with conquest.

Amy's brows furrowed as she stared up at her captor—who was none other than Shadow the Hedgehog. "Give me a break, I kept away for a record-breaking thirty minutes this time," she groaned.

He chuckled lightly, amused by her comment. "You should feel proud," he commended. "Each and every time we come out and do training, you improve. Remember a month ago when I was able to catch you within two minutes?"

She nodded, thinking back to that time—a time where she was so naïve with her new and enhanced abilities. "Yes."

"Next time, work on controlling your heart beat. That's how I was able to find you. I could hear it racing from afar."

"Right, heartbeats…I'll remember next time," she noted.

"Good." He leaned in and gave her a short peck on the lips. "Love you."

"I love you, too," she replied before trying to wriggle out of his grasp. "But can you let me up now?"

His eyelids lowered suggestively as he stared down at her. "I'm finding it hard to comply with your demands when you look absolutely ravishing lying underneath me like this. I caught my prey after all."

Amy blushed at his comment and seductive glance. "Shadow, we can't do it out here. Someone might see us."

"We'll have to make it fast then," he replied before diving in and giving her sensual kisses along her neck. Amy felt her face heat up, as he sucked on the side of her neck softly. She could feel his fangs press against her throat, making her heart race in anticipation. "Sha-shadow, stop, ah."

Ignoring her pleas, he continued making his way back up her neck and silenced her with a sensual kiss. Amy felt him slide his tongue into her mouth, lapping around inside. Eventually, she succumbed to him and lowered her guard. Shadow was succeeding in turning her on. Feeling her resisting cease, Shadow released his hold on her wrists, allowing her hands to wander. Amy wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer for him to continue ravishing her.

Shadow smirked within their kiss, and moved his knee between her legs, signaling her to spread them. She obliged, spreading her legs for him, while his right hand trailed down her side making its way to the promise land, but before anything more could happen, Amy's cell phone rang out causing the two hedgehogs to pull apart from the startling noise.

Amy sat up as Shadow moved off her. "It's probably Silver," she surmised in a soft voice.

"Well, can it wait?" Shadow grumbled in annoyance. "We're kind of busy here."

Amy sat up further, diving her hand into her jacket pocket and rummaging for her cell phone. Once she found it, she pulled it out and looked at the caller I.D seeing Silver's name flash on the screen. Shadow took a peek at the caller and shrugged. "It's probably nothing," he deduced. "My brother can wait."

"It could be about Faith, Shadow," she countered.

Seeing her point, Shadow backed off on his impatience and allowed her to take the phone call–he was babysitting after all. Amy put the phone to her ear as she answered. "Hello?"

Back at the house, Silver held a fussy Faith in his arms, while he braced his cell phone between his shoulder and face to talk. "Amy," he spoke loudly over the crying infant. "Is there any chance you and Shadow are on your way back?"

Amy cringed hearing Faith wail loudly in the background. "Why, what's going on?"

At the manor, Silver paced around the room, cradling the young infant in one arm, trying to calm her. "Faith's been pretty restless for the past few hours. I've been trying to get her down for her afternoon nap, but I just can't seem to get her to settle down. I figured maybe she just needs her Mother."

"It sure sounds like it. Don't worry, Silver, we'll be home in twenty minutes." With that, she hung up and looked over to Shadow, who now looked rather guilty for suggesting the idea of ignoring the call. "Come on, Shadow, let's get home."

•~•

Meanwhile, in the city, Blaze finished up her shift at her store after a busy day. Inside, she finished sweeping the floor just as she caught a familiar duo walk past her large store window. She stared in awe as a pink echidna wearing a long sleeve, blue dress, accompanied by a red and black armadillo in a dashing black suit, strolled past her store window. "Oh, my."

Quickly, she rested her broom against the wall and ran for the door, flinging it open in excitement. "Aurora, Mighty!" she waved, trying to get their attention as she chased after them down the sidewalk. The two halted in their tracks after hearing their names and turned. Just as the pink echidna spun around to face her caller, she was immediately embraced by the purple feline. "Aurora, I haven't seen you in forever!"

The echidna gently patted her on the back with a small smile. "Oh, well, we've been on a spiritual retreat for a few months," Aurora replied sweetly. "We only returned a few days ago."

Blaze smiled before she looked over to Mighty, standing off to the side. "How have you been, Mighty?"

"The retreat did wonders for me," he began. "It was some well-deserved rest and everything is now sublime my dear," he responded looking almost smug in his expression.

Blaze raised a brow at first by his response, since she had never heard Mighty use that term, and it seemed rather out of character, but ultimately she shrugged it off. "Well, that's great to hear." Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she rummaged for it. When she looked at the screen, it was a text message from Silver. "We should have brunch or something in the future and catch up," she recommended, directing her attention back to her old friends.

Aurora clasped her hands together. "That sounds like an absolutely lovely proposal."

"Great, well, I have to get going. I have a date with my boyfriend this afternoon," she said turning on her heel. "Seeya later, guys!" she waved.

The two watched as the cat wandered off and out of earshot. "Do you think she noticed?" Mighty inquired quietly.

Aurora's once sincere looking expression deflated into something more calculating. "Not at all, my son," Aurora smiled wickedly. "Poor girl, she doesn't have a clue. She's too caught up in her love life with your younger brother."

"Blaze may have fallen for our façade, but don't you think Shadow and Silver will recognize our _true_ identities?" Mighty questioned as they walked down the sidewalk together.

"I don't expect your brothers to be deluded by our trickery, _Mephiles_ ," she answered. "Say what you will about them, but you and your siblings are quite observant and excellent strategists."

Mighty looked rather dignified by the accolade. "A trait we inherited from you, dear mother," he complimented.

She gave out a soft chuckle. "Are you happy with your new body?" she inquired as they turned a corner.

He looked down at his hands as he mulled over the question. "It does its purpose I suppose, but I would have preferred something a little more robust— not that I'm complaining."

She rolled her eyes slightly by his criticism. "Just be happy you're not stuck in the body of a teenager."

"Don't worry, mother, I'll find the perfect body for you, then we can do the spell to have you jump into the new one," he pledged with determination.

Aurora reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Aw, thank you, Mephiles. You've always been the kindest towards me."

He smiled proudly. "Of course, but what is our next stage of the plan?"

"We have much to attend to. First, we need to get your brother's attention." They stopped at the witch cemetery gates, finally at their destination. "After all, we have a family reunion to plan," she smirked darkly.

•~•

Twenty minutes later, Shadow and Amy arrived back to the house where Silver waited as he gently patted the baby's back as he held her. The front door opened and both Shadow and Amy walked in and flocked over to their child's side. "Ooh, Faith what's wrong?" Amy cooed as she took her out of Silver's arms. Faith continued to cry and scream as Amy tried to quiet her.

Shadow hovered behind Amy as he looked down at his daughter with concern. "Does she need a diaper change?" he asked loudly over her crying.

Silver shook his head. "I've checked twice and she's fine."

"Perhaps she's just hungry, then?" Shadow theorized.

"I've been trying to feed her but she's been quite resistant. I don't know what to do. She's always been so good with me."

Amy gently bounced her in her arms while different thoughts on her restlessness flooded her mind. Her eyes went back to Silver. "It's okay, Silver, she might just be having a bad day, I'll tend to her and you can take a break," she smiled. "Thanks again for helping us out."

"No problem, Amy," the white hedgehog smiled back.

Amy began to head upstairs with Faith in tow. "I'm just going to take her upstairs and rock her for a bit."

"I'll join you up there in a bit," Shadow called out.

Meanwhile, Silver looked at his phone and quickly sent a text to Blaze. "Great, I have just enough time to get ready for my special date with Blaze tonight."

"Special date?" Shadow repeated with intrigue.

Silver nodded as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small black box. "Yes, I'm going to propose to her tonight," he explained. Silver opened up the black velvet box, revealing a beautiful, but dainty engagement ring.

Shadow stared in awe at the ring. "I'll wish you luck tonight, but I don't think you'll need it. Blaze is a great girl."

"I'm glad you agree," Silver chuckled. "She's already been like family for so long, I think it's time I make it official."

•~•

Upstairs, Amy entered Faith's nursery and walked over to the rocking chair. "I think it's time for a story, what do you think?" she chuckled lightly as she stared down at the baby. Faith looked up at her mother while she sucked away at her binky, causing Amy to chuckle as she took a seat. "I suppose that's a yes, then." She tapped her chin, "Now, let's think of a good story to tell…" Amy looked around the room for inspiration before her eyes set on the painting hanging above Faith's crib. A smile formed as a story came to fruition in her mind.

Amy pushed off with her feet gently, starting to rock her chair. "Once upon a time, there was a majestic king, who lived with his noble brother, and his queen in a beautiful castle where music and art were celebrated," she began. "The king did not foresee having a child, but he lived in an enchanted land where all things were possible. In time, he was blessed with a beautiful baby daughter, for whom he only wished peace and happiness." Just from her few moments of rocking, Amy could see Faith was starting to grow quite tired as her eyes grew heavy.

Gently, Amy stood from her chair holding Faith in her arms as she approached the crib to lay her down and continue her story. "Still…the king had demons who pursued him relentlessly. There was a ruthless warlock who wanted to take out the king's beautiful daughter for his own evil doings." Amy lowered Faith into her crib now that her eyes were completely closed. "The warlock armed himself with a pack of loyal monsters, and drove the other magical beings from the kingdom, weakening the king's stronghold over the land."

Amy draped a small blanket over Faith, tucking her in. "In order to keep his kingdom safe, the king went out of his way to create alliances with other mythical creatures to help him protect his family. But the warlock mimicked the king's actions and formed an alliance of his own with a wicked sorceress that helped create enchanted stones that weakened the king every full moon. One full moon, the warlock killed the queen and kidnapped the beautiful princess. But thanks to the king's noble brother and great allies, he was able to save his princess and slay his enemies just in the knick of time. And thanks to the magic of the land, his queen was brought back to life and the family was reunited and lived happily ever after," she finished.

"—You've got quite the talent there," a male voice said from the doorway. Amy craned her neck only to see Shadow leaning his right shoulder against the doorframe. "I especially enjoyed the part where the king slayed that odious warlock," he chuckled in reminiscent.

Amy smiled and approached him. "It's not too hard to come up with stories when you've got all the inspiration for them around you," she giggled softly.

He reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her in close. Shadow leaned in and gave her a few kisses on the cheek, before going down her neck. "Oh, Shadow," she moaned lightly.

He smirked, hearing her reaction. "Now that the little one is down, I say we continue what we started in the woods back in the bedroom. What do you say, my love?"

"I'd like that," she smiled. Shadow scooped Amy up into his arms bridal style and carried her out of the nursery and towards their bedroom so they could continue their activities.

•~•

After having a lovely meal at a little French bistro, Silver and Blaze sat at their table waiting to end their night with dessert. The two sat just outside the restaurant, with the beautiful night sky above them. Silver stared at Blaze lovingly as took a sip of her champagne. When she finished her sip, she did a double take, realizing that Silver had been staring at her longingly in the moment. "Silver, are you okay?" she laughed, staring at his goofy expression.

Silver came out of his daze and shook his head. "Oh, of course! I just couldn't help but stare, especially at how gorgeous you look tonight."

Blaze smiled appreciatively. "Thank you. You are just as equally handsome tonight," she praised. "I really want to thank you again for bringing me here tonight—especially, since this place is quite pricey."

"It's fine, don't worry about the price," he dismissed with a wave of the hand. "You adore French cuisine, and well…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I wanted to make sure this night was special."

"Special?" she repeated. "It's not our anniversary yet," she chuckled.

"No, you're right, it's not. But in the last few months, I've realized how much you mean to me—how much you've impacted my life and made it for the better." Blaze looked in awe by his heartfelt speech and watched as he reached out for her hands. "Blaze, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

At that very moment, the waiter came over and placed down their ordered dessert, Crème Brulee with an added bonus. Lying on top of the dessert was a delicate, dainty and very feminine engagement ring. Blaze gasped in surprise and placed a hand over her mouth. Her eyes stared at the ring and back towards Silver in disbelief.

Before she could utter anything, Silver was down on one knee, holding her hand. The restaurant full of dining patrons all turned in their seats and stared at them, with anxious smiles. "Blaze, will you marry me?"

Blaze nodded eagerly, feeling an adrenaline rush overcome her. "Yes, yes!" She exclaimed happily. The crowd of diners along with the waiting staff clapped and cheered seeing the happy event unfold before them. Silver and Blaze kissed, feeling optimistic and content with what their future would hold.

•~•

Meanwhile, back at Shadow's estate; things were getting quite heated between the new couple. In the bedroom, Amy laid on her back completely nude, while Shadow lounged beside her, helping her get off. His fingers glided in and out of her allowing soft gasps of euphoria to fill the air. Shadow watched in content as he pleasured Amy. Amy kept her eyes closed as he worked his handy magic down below. Like always, Shadow was excellent at finding just the right spot at putting her over the edge. She felt her back arch as he probed at reaching her climax. She was building up to exploding and Shadow was sensing her end. "You want it faster?" he asked softly.

Keeping her eyes shut, she nodded anxiously and he upped his speed, fingering her even faster. "Ah, ah, aaah…" she moaned in relief as she orgasmed, feeling a bliss overcome her that left her body tingling.

Shadow smirked down at her, seeing her chest rise and fall as she caught her breath. "That's my girl."

Amy sat up, pushing herself up on her bent arms to look at him. "Shadow, that was amazing," she panted. "But don't you ever want to go first?"

"Ladies should always go first," he winked.

Amy giggled and leaned over and kissed him. Shadow wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in closer. It was then that she could feel his thick and long cock pressing up against her puffy lips down below. She shuddered in excitement, feeling the head probe against her entrance. Amy pried her lips away from his. "Oooh, Shadow."

"Do you want to take the lead?" he probed.

She nodded and helped maneuver themselves into the proper positions. Shadow laid on his back, while Amy climbed on top of him, positioning herself over his erect member. "You ready?"

"Always."

•~•

Meanwhile, at that same time, miles away, an older dark hedgehog walked down the streets in his quest to find his sons. The streets were filled with tourists and residents that weaved in and out of stores and restaurants. Coal scowled at the sight of two lovesick mortals linking arms and kissing as they walked passed him. How he despised seeing them happy and ignorant to what evil loomed and scourged this city. It had been a couple of months during his search, but finally, his scout had brought him to this town. There was something about it, that drew him there, and he knew with a bit more hunting, he'd stumble across the ones he wished to destroy.

Coal stopped and leaned against one of the walls of a shop to take a time to observe his surroundings. His eyes watched the crowd as he desperately wished to find a clue to where his sons resided. Suddenly, his heightened hearing picked up on an interesting conversation. Tuning into the convo, his eyes shot to the left where he spotted a male porcupine leading a compelled female tourist into an alley. Clearly, the male was a vampire, and seeing as hunting vampires was his mission in life; he decided he'd use this as a chance to get in some more practice.

Discreetly, he pushed himself off the wall and followed the oblivious vampire, while he withdrew an ordinary wooden stake from the inside of his jacket.

•~•

Standing on a nearby apartment balcony, Mephiles inhabiting Mighty's body watched as Coal made his trek after his new targets. He ran a nervous hand over his face as he watched, contemplating on making a move to strike down his father himself. After Shadow had ended his life a few months ago, he had set up a backup plan in case everything had gone awry by bringing his father back to life—which unfortunately had worked. If only he had known that his Mother had a similar idea by bringing herself along with his own life back to the living.

His mother absolutely despised his father and knowing how angry she'd be if she found out about his side ploy would only cause her to lose trust in him. It would be difficult to destroy Coal without obtaining the white oak stake and would take some planning. Tonight was not the night to strike though. Mighty backed away from the balcony railing, deciding he'd do some more planning before he made his move, but in the meantime, he'd make sure to keep his mother off his father's trail.

•~•

AN: In case anyone is confused:

Mephiles is inhabiting (Possessing Mighty Armadillo's body)

Ivy (Shadow/Silver/Mephiles mother) is inhabiting Aurora's body.

Coal has been brought back from the dead, via Mephiles and is on the hunt for Shadow and .

Hopefully, that clears up any confusion!


	2. Mother Dearest

AN: Thank you CrimsonDestroyer, MissMJS, Nebula the Hedgehog, aliciathewolf45, Captain, MysterySecret, and Sunny for the reviews you left on my first chapter. Appresh!

•~•

After having some fun upstairs, Shadow and Amy finished the night watching TV in the living room. Already undressed and in her PJ's, Amy cuddled up next to Shadow while they watched their program in silence. Shadow kept one arm over the back of the couch and behind her as she snuggled in closer, but when a commercial came on, Shadow turned his head, finding the right opportunity to reveal some exciting news. "I might as well break this to you before they get back, but, Silver is proposing to Blaze tonight."

Amy's eyes beamed at the exciting news. "Really? Oh my gosh, that's wonderful!"

He smiled at her reaction. "I'm just as elated as you are. Blaze is a perfect mate for my brother."

"Watching the two of them is everything I've ever dreamed of when I think of true love." She cupped her hands together and sighed happily. "Gosh, I can't wait to get married myself one day," Amy fantasized.

"When the time is right it'll happen," Shadow hinted with a coy wink, causing Amy to smile and giggle.

A knock on their door drew their attention away and both of them looked back towards the front door. "I'll get it." Shadow stood up and muted the TV as he wandered over to the front door.

Amy stayed behind on the couch while she watched him open the door. The two were surprised to see Caleb standing on the other side. Amy smiled at his sight. "Caleb, what brings you here?"

Unfortunately, Caleb didn't seem to be as in high spirits as Amy was. Instead, he appeared quite crestfallen. "It's nothing good, I'll tell you that."

Shadow opened the door wider, inviting him inside. "Please, come in," he gestured. Obliging, the dingo entered the home and Shadow shut the door behind him. "What's going on?" he asked as they headed for the living room together.

"Ever since I returned the moonlight rings, there has been division amongst the pack."

They sat down on the couch together. "Over what exactly?" Shadow probed.

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "Let's just say, that not everyone was on board with the idea of giving up the rings," he began.

"So, what's going on now—a revolt?" Shadow surmised.

Caleb nodded his head. "Because of the division, a large chunk of my pack has abandoned me to align themselves with a witch rumored to make moonlight rings."

Shadow scoffed at the fantasy notion. "Well, they're not going to have much luck. The only person who knew how to make them was Rouge and she's dead now. Besides, the page from my mother's grimoire with the instructions on how to craft them was destroyed."

"That's just the thing… I've had a couple of my guy's spy on the pack members that left. It sounds like there _is_ a witch who has promised she can make moonlight rings," Caleb explained.

Shadow's eyes widened in alert by the thought, perhaps he'd have to investigate this incident out, just to be on the safe side. "What's her name?"

"It's Aurora," he answered. "She's just a teenager, but a talented witch based on my sources."

"I see," he replied with intrigue. "And the traitors, anyone I know in particular?"

"Andrew was one of those that really initiated a drive into revolting. He wasn't happy when I gave up the moonlight rings," Caleb answered.

"Do you know where his location is? I want to have a word with him."

Caleb bobbed his head up and down. "Yes, I know where he and the rest are staying."

"Great." Shadow looked over to Amy. "I'll be back later, just stay here and watch over Faith."

Amy stood up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Just be careful, Shadow."

"I will," he smiled.

•~•

Meanwhile, in the city, Silver and Blaze walked hand in hand down the sidewalk after enjoying a wonderful evening together. Blaze glanced down at her left hand, adoring the ring around her ring finger. Silver had a keen eye for the type of jewelry she liked, and the ring represented her perfectly. "You like it then?" he asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Her eyes met his. "Yes, it's absolutely perfect. I had no idea you were going to spring this on me—I mean, I've felt ready for some time now, but I just didn't expect it to happen tonight."

He chuckled softly. "That was the point. I figured it'd be too obvious to do it on our anniversary."

"You've always been quite cunning," she commended.

"So…" he began. "What's on your mind right now?" he asked as they continued walking.

Her eyes fell to the sidewalk momentarily as she mulled over the question. "Well…with helping take care of Faith, it's really made me think about having a baby of our own."

Silver's smile faded and the two came to a sudden halt. It was then that Blaze could see the shift in Silver's mood, turning from optimistic and joyous to concern and doubt. "Blaze, you know if I could, I'd love nothing more than to conceive a child with you," he said holding both her hands in his. "After all, you're the love of my life, and bringing a child into our world would be amazing if I could grant you that."

Blaze's smile faltered and her eyes fell to the sidewalk below them. "Yes, I realize that, but I'm sure we could always adopt?" Blaze proposed.

His smile returned but stayed weak. "When it's the right time, we'll discuss it." He leaned in and closed the gap between them. Blaze closed her eyes and relished in the kiss, but before it could get too passionate, a male scream erupted from one of the nearby alleyways. Startled by this, the couple broke apart.

"That doesn't sound good…" Blaze spoke, looking around.

"Someone's in trouble," he grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him. "Come on!" The two followed the noise and came to an alleyway where they saw an older black and silver hedgehog devouring a male porcupine next to an already deceased female on the ground. Silver and Blaze stayed back as they watched the older male hedgehog toss the body to the side after he was finished feeding.

Surprisingly though, the porcupine wasn't dead, but instead gravely injured and weak. "That all you got, man?" the porcupine grumbled, trying to get to his feet.

"Not quite, dear boy." Suddenly, he stabbed a wooden stake into his chest.

Silver was about to intervene but felt his whole world freeze when he saw the face of the attacker in the moonlight. Standing over the now deceased body of the dead vampire was none other than his father, Coal, an Original just like himself that hunted his very own kind: vampires. Questions resonated in his head. How was this possible, how was his father among the living once again?

His amber eyes fell to an item tucked in the back of his pants—the very weapon that could kill them, a white oak stake, the only weapon in existence that could kill an Original.

Blaze began to open her mouth to say something, but Silver quickly grabbed her before she could utter a word and sped them out of there. Coal turned his head after hearing a whoosh but saw no one in sight. His eye's narrowed suspiciously before he made his departure out of the ally in search for his true targets.

•~•

After getting them a safe distance away, Silver released his hold on Blaze allowing her to walk on her own. They were now on another street, far enough away from the vampire hunter where they could talk in peace. Blaze shot Silver an incredulous look by his move and watched him look around their surroundings, appearing quite paranoid. "What was that back there? We could have helped that guy."

Silver kept looking over his shoulder, terrified that his father would appear any second. "You don't understand. That wasn't just any vampire, that was…my father."

She blinked a few times, taken aback as she processed what he said. "Wait, your father? But isn't he-"

"—Dead?" he answered, finishing her thought. "He's supposed to be."

"I-I don't understand," Blaze murmured. "How is this possible?"

"I'm not sure, but we need to get back home and tell Shadow."

•~•

Out in the Mystic Ruins, Shadow and Caleb walked down an old abandoned campsite searching for Andrew and the others that had betrayed the pack. Eventually, after some time, they found the bunch huddled around a campfire eating dinner. Caleb and Shadow stayed hidden behind the trees and bushes as they watched the group of wolves. "There they are," Caleb spoke quietly. "I gotta warn yah, they may be a little standoffish."

Shadow narrowed his eyes on Andrew as he watched him stand up from his seat and walk off. "As they should be," he said quietly before storming through the shrubbery out into the open. Caleb quickly followed behind him, just as the rest of the wolves stood up and looked in their direction after hearing his approach.

The group of wolves backed up but stood in defense notifying their new leader that something was wrong. Once he spotted the two intruders, Andrew's expression turned into a scowl. "The hell you two want?"

Shadow held his stoic expression as he calmly walked towards the group. "Hold your tongue or I'll tear it from your gaping mouth."

A little bit behind Shadow, Caleb put his hands up, showing no harm. "We didn't come here to fight, Andrew. We just came to talk."

Andrew crossed his arms over his chest as he stared hard at his old leader with scrutiny. "Go on then, talk."

Caleb lowered his arms. "Our pack has been divided by people that want us to be their slaves. What we need right now is a leader. We need to reunite and become strong again," he pleaded with sincerity.

Andrew scoffed. "Why should we let you be the leader again? You don't know what's best for us," he pointed accusingly. "This is just another reason to say yes to Aurora and her moonlight rings." Caleb looked dumbfounded at his old friend, only causing Andrew to chuckle. "Yeah, that's right, they," he said gesturing to the other wolves behind him, "Would rather follow a witch than you—and I'd rather die than follow you."

Feeling that he had heard enough, Shadow intervened and sent the disrespectful dog onto his back with a powerful punch to the face. Andrew slammed hard into the ground and grunted. Just as he tried to sit up, Shadow's foot pressed firmly onto his chest, keeping him held down. "Well, at least you didn't drag this out."

"Hey, wait a second—let him go, Shadow!" Caleb begged. This was not how he intended this to go.

Shadow ignored his wishes and kept his foot on top of the traitorous hound. "You need to learn about the art of politics, Caleb. You gain support by killing your detractors," he foreshadowed with an evil glint in his eye.

"They may not like me very much, but these people, including Andrew, are my family," he reasoned before his eyes hardened. "Now, let him go now," he demanded sternly.

Shadow smirked, impressed by the courage and determination he emanated. He looked past Caleb among the other werewolves looking on anxiously at what Shadow's next move would be. Seeing that he gained what he wanted out of them, he chuckled. "You see?" he said gesturing to Caleb, "There's your leader—powerful, fearless, and unlike me, merciful," he finished before lifting his foot off of the dog. Andrew gasped a breath of fresh air and sat up, glowering at the hybrid with disdain.

"Thank you," Caleb nodded.

"These people need to show you more respect, my friend. How you handle them now is up to you." Shadow began to walk off, leaving the dingo baffled by his exit.

"Wait, where are you going now?"

He stopped momentarily to look back at him. "I'm going to find this witch. It seems I need to educate her as to what she may or may not do in my city."

•~•

Like promised, Shadow entered the witches' cemetery in search for Aurora. As he walked around, there was not a soul in sight, but just because Shadow could not hear or see them, didn't mean that he was alone. His eyes searched the foggy cemetery grounds before he stopped in the dead center. The ebony hedgehog crossed his arms over his chest, sensing he was not alone in that moment. "Where is this witch who dares craft moonlight rings without my permission?" he asked loudly to silence.

As if on cue, a group of witches came from around the mausoleums and encircled the hybrid. Shadow eyed them all, as they stared him down with glares of disgust. "The party finally arrived, I see," he noted.

"—Shadow," a young feminine voice spoke from behind the crowd. Shadow's eyes darted among the many faces but were unable to detect the one who had spoken. Suddenly, the crowd split into two halves, allowing a gap where a beautiful, light pink, female echidna stepped out to face the hybrid. "I've been expecting you," she spoke softly.

Shadow blinked a few times as he registered her appearance in his mind. Even though he had never seen her before, it struck him as odd as the young girl stood there looking rather confident. There was something oddly haunting as he examined her, as she seemed familiar in a strange sense. "Who are you exactly?"

She placed a hand on her chest. "My name is Aurora," she introduced kindly. "And I know we have much to discuss, Shadow." Her hand gestured to her left where an opened mausoleum was. "Why don't you join me inside and we can talk more in there," she insisted.

"Fair enough," he spoke before he walked past her and entered the building.

The pink echidna looked to a group of male witches that began to follow the ebony hedgehog inside, but she placed a hand up, signaling for them to stop. "It's alright, I can handle this on my own." With her command, the witches backed off and scattered in different directions in the cemetery.

As Aurora entered the building, she spotted Shadow already making himself at home as he waited at the table she had set up for their meeting. Shadow was busy taking in his surroundings, looking at the numerous lit candles inside, and swiping his finger across the dusty table surface in scrutiny. Aurora walked over to her kettle on one of the ledges, picked it up, and began to pour two cups of tea. "I want to begin and offer my condolences for my coven," she began.

He rubbed at the dust between his index finger and thumb. "You mean for trying to sacrifice my daughter?" Shadow surmised dryly as he intently watched her.

"Yes," she nodded. "Although I understand their reasoning, I could never condone such behavior." The echidna finished pouring out their tea and placed the kettle back down. "…I lost a child myself once, too," she recollected.

Shadow looked her up and down skeptically. "Aren't you a bit young to be having children? What are you, about sixteen?" he guessed.

She gave out a subtle chuckle. "Oh, there's much more you'll learn about me tonight."

He leaned back in his chair nonchalantly. "If you cared so much, then why didn't you try to stop them?" he questioned.

She brought over the two cups of tea and laid one out in front of him before taking a seat across the table. "Opposing your coven is a risky move, Shadow. I could have easily been shunned by them, with even more unpleasant punishments later in store for me," she explained. "If there was any way I could have helped to stop it, I would have. Violence to children is not in my teaching."

He stared at the cup and saucer laid out in front of him. "So, is this tea your idea of a peace offering, then?"

"Chamomile has lots of healing properties," she replied taking a sip of her own. "Did you know that it's also a flowering plant?"

"I did," he responded with disinterest. "The plants grew wild near my home when I was a boy, but neither the tea nor your botanical musings explain the reason why you've taken it upon yourself to forge new moonlight rings."

"I assumed it was obvious." Shadow tilted his head, lost on her assumption, forcing her to continue her explanation. "An alliance between the wolves and witches would restore balance to our home."

"Well, that's a lofty goal for a teenage girl," he tsked.

Despite his moody behaviors, she continued to uphold her cheerful nature. She wasn't about to let his brooding bring her down. "You do realize that long ago, the witches and the wolves were at peace," she reminded.

"Of course I'm aware of that," he scoffed at her subtle condescending tone.

"Obviously, you remember the time of the vampires…a plague made flesh—A curse on this earth," she described with a bit of contempt in her tone. Her expression grew disappointed. "Your kind has no humanity and you punish those who do."

"And how exactly are we any different from your kind or the werewolves?" he challenged, slightly offended by her description and apparent bias.

"Simple," she spoke. "Witches have covens and wolves have packs, making us a constant reminder of everything you have forsaken," she pointed. "Creatures such as yourself will always hate the living, and so we will always have to defend ourselves."

He raised a brow, somewhat seeing her point. "You are quite perceptive for your age," Shadow noted. "But I can't help but notice your disdain for my kind…Not all of us are _that_ bad."

"You must understand that the rings for us level the playing field. If we are united nothing can stand against us, including vampires."

"It's an ambitious strategy," he observed as he leaned forward, leaning his arms over the table. "But allow me to offer a few words of advice, if I may be so bold…"

She took another long sip of her tea before placing it down on the table. "Very well, let's hear it."

His expression turned very serious. "This town is a vicious place and your enemies are everywhere, like behind your back, and before your very eyes. You will need to remain vigilant against those who would seek to destroy you. Some of whom you may never see coming," he advised.

"I've already begun to take precautions, Shadow. In fact, I'm taking them as we speak."

Shadow took a sip of his tea, making a wry face before coming to another thought. He lowered his cup back onto its saucer and pushed it away in disgust. "You know…Chamomile is the same tea my mother use to make. Oh, how I loathed it."

She tilted her head and gave him a sweet smile. "Would you have preferred mint?"

"No," he replied. "But back to the topic of my mother—Did I mention she was insane?"

"No you did not," she paused. "Was she really crazy?" she asked with feigned ignorance.

He smirked in reminiscence. "Yes, it's true. She believed we were abominations. 'A curse on this planet stretched out over generations,' was how she put it. It's just a shame she didn't realize she was the _true_ monster. She changed her children, stole our innocence, made us vampires, and condemned us to an eternity of blood lust. And then…acted if it were us to blame."

Aurora was finding it quite difficult to remain placid after Shadow's tirade, but luckily, she refrained from showing her true scorn. "She sounds just awful, but are you building up to a question, Shadow?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do you look and talk to me as is if we are familiars—I find it insulting. A witch once revealed that your coven was under my mother's influence. Does she speak to you now?" he interrogated.

"She doesn't have to," she answered simply. Shadow's face grimaced in response. "Because I know exactly what she would say in this moment."

"And what's that?" he probed.

Her feigned smile suddenly dropped into a frown. "She would tell you to go to your room for being so rude and disrespectful," she replied venomously.

Out of anger and shock, Shadow abruptly rose from his seat, slamming his hands on the table and inching closer so he was face to face. Surprisingly, Aurora did not flinch as Shadow stared her in the eye, practically searching her soul as he tried to intimidate her. But as he looked at her, something troubled him by what he saw. Aurora smirked proudly by his findings. "H-how?" he stuttered.

Aurora only smiled triumphantly as she stood from her seat. The look of confusion on Shadow's face was enjoyable to watch on her end. "I believe this is the end of our meeting, Shadow," she spoke, breaking his daze.

Shadow's eyes followed her form as she retreated without any urgency out of the mausoleum. "But—wait, I have more questions!"

She ignored his pleas. "—Goodnight, Shadow. I'm sure we will speak again," she said before completely vanishing into the fog.

•~•

After returning home, Shadow and Silver met in the wine cellar to catch up on their day in private. "It's worse than we thought," Shadow began. "I met the witch, Aurora. While I studied her, her presence, and the way she carried herself—heard the fervor with which she voiced her hatred of our kind, that's when I realized…"

"What?"

Shadow grabbed him by the shoulders. "I looked into that girl's eyes and I swear to you, Silver… she is not just guided by our mother, she _is_ our mother!"

Silver blinked in surprise, suddenly growing sick by the thought as his brother released his hold. "What is happening out there?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to kill her." His fists clenched in displeasure. "I will boil her bones and feed them to the dogs if that's what it takes."

Silver's ears lowered slightly knowing Shadow was not going to like hearing the news he had to share. "Shadow there's something else you need to know…"

"—What? What could possibly be more important than the return of our mother?"

"How about the return of our father?" Silver countered. The color in Shadow's face practically drained by the mention and he felt lightheaded. "I saw him standing there in the flesh. What's worse is, he holds a white oak stake."

Shadow backed up slightly, resting his back on one of the stone walls. "…Just when I thought things couldn't get any possibly worse."

"I know, I froze when I saw him, he was killing another vampire at the time. I-I was with Blaze and I didn't want her to get hurt, so I ran," he admitted in shame.

Shadow placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't feel shame or weakness. Our father is strong, relentless, and a psychopath at best. You did the right thing," he assured.

"So, what now then?" Silver probed.

"There's only one question we need to ask, isn't there?"

Silver tilted his head curiously. "And what's that?"

"Which of our parents shall we kill first?"

•~•

Now that Shadow and Silver realize their parents are back, what do you think will happen?

Also, what's the deal with Andrew being a Judus and ditching his old pack? What a dickhead.

Remember to leave me a review!


	3. See you at Dinner!

AN: Thank you, Captain, MissMJS, risingzero, and aliciathewolf45 for your reviews. I hope you guys are enjoying the story. I know a lot of people were hyped to see me do a sequel of this story. I just hope it is living up to all of the excitement.

•~•

The next morning, Amy groggily wandered in her pajamas to the back porch while she held Faith in one arm. "Gosh, I'm starving," she mumbled. Once she finished closing the porch door, she was startled when she spotted the picnic table with a full breakfast laid out on magnificent display. "What the…"

Lying out on the table were pitchers of various fruit juices, along with fresh apples, oranges, grapes, watermelon, grapefruit, and even fresh pancakes, bacon, cereal, and eggs. Amy smiled brightly at the gesture as she came to her own assumption. "Wow, look what daddy made, Faith," Amy pointed as she picked at some grapes, popping them into her mouth.

Right on cue, Shadow stepped out past the French doors, looking on in awe at the generous food display himself. "Rose, did you do all this?"

Amy turned around, swallowing a mouthful of grapes and shook her head. "No, I thought you did?" she said slightly confused.

Shadow shook his head as he came over to study the food. "Not at all, I just finished showering and getting dressed."

"Did Silver compel another chef again?" Amy surmised dryly as she looked around, expecting to see a compelled cook pop out of the kitchen at any moment. "Perhaps, this is another sweet gesture of Silver for his recent engagement?"

Right as the words left her mouth, Silver and Blaze came out, also in their pajamas, yawning, stretching, and completely oblivious to the antics going on outside. Seeing Silver and Blaze in their current state, it became evidently clear that none of them were responsible for the feast. "I'm guessing this wasn't you either?" Shadow surmised.

Silver's eyes widened, as he looked at all the delicious food set outside. He scratched his head perplexed by the sight. "I wish."

Blaze wandered over to the table and poured herself a glass of orange juice. "Who could have possibly taken the time to do all of this?"

Before Blaze could take a sip of her drink, Silver swatted her hand, forcing the glass of juice to shatter on the ground. "Blaze, don't drink that! You don't know where it came from," he scolded.

Blaze shot him a deadpan expression. "Well, someone put a lot of effort into making all this. Besides, I hate wasting food."

While the two bickered, Shadow found an envelope in between the two pitchers of juice and opened it up. As his eyes scanned the message, the note read:

 _Dinner at your place._

 _8 PM._

 _Dress nicely._

– _Mother_

While Shadow was busy reading the note, Amy finished swallowing a spoonful of scrambled eggs, ignoring the possibility of poisoned food as she stood to the side with Faith. "What is it, Shadow?"

Shadow's hand lowered with the note as his expression grew dreaded. "An invitation for dinner from our Mother."

•~•

Once they finished getting dressed, Amy followed Shadow around the house as he prepared for the inevitable dinner party. "Why are Blaze and I not allowed to come to dinner?" Amy pouted.

"Because I don't want either of you anywhere near that wretched woman," Shadow growled at the thought. "That's why I'll have you, Blaze, and Faith head over to Caleb's for the time being while Silver and I deal with _Mother_ ," he seethed on the last word.

Amy groaned by his overprotectiveness. "If you hate her so much, why can't you just…"

"—Kill her?" Another voice chimed in. Silver walked around the corner with Blaze tagging behind. "Because our mother is a master in the art of possession. We know whose body she currently inhabits, so we must decipher her intentions before she finds a new host."

Shadow crumbled the note in his hand. "Her last invitation was an assassination attempt on all of her children, so I think we can assume her intentions are decidedly foul," Shadow replied, thinking back to a past event.

Silver looked down at his wristwatch. "Well, then, we have this afternoon to prepare for the worst."

"And how are we to prepare?" Shadow inquired.

"Silver and I have been discussing what we can do to prevent your mother from jumping bodies, and I know another witch that might be able to help us," Blaze responded.

"Fair enough," Shadow approved. "While you two deal with our mother's body jumping act, Amy and I will continue prepping for tonight's feast."

•~•

In the city, Andrew sat at the empty bar, day drinking to ease his stress. With only a couple other customers, there wasn't much activity going on inside the establishment. The bartender cleaned the other end while Andrew sat at the far end. Dully, Andrew took a long sip of his beer, until he felt a presence loom behind him. He caved, craning his neck and expected to see a familiar face, but instead saw a handsome, black and red armadillo take a seat next to him. "Your name is Andrew, correct?" the stranger questioned.

Andrew looked at him trying to recall any time he had interacted with the stranger but came up blank. "Yeah, that's right. Do I, uh, know you?"

Mighty shook his head politely. "No, but I am, in fact, the person you'll be meeting with this afternoon," he explained. "My name is Mep-I mean, Mighty," he introduced sticking out his hand for him to shake.

Andrew stared at his exchanged hand and let out a small chuckle. The armadillo already had a major ego. "Look, I'm here to meet Aurora," he said explicitly. "I don't know who you are, _friend_ , but you're certainly no teenage girl," he scoffed.

After hearing his attitude, Mighty lowered his hand and leaned his arms across the bar. "What a keen observation," he spoke facetiously, as he watched Andrew take another sip of his beer. "But when you speak to me, you are, in fact, speaking to Aurora," he spoke sternly.

"Pff, right," he replied lowering his bottle again. "How can I trust you?"

Mighty stuck his hand into his coat pocket pulling out a ring with a black stone. One that looked very similar to the moonlight rings he had, had when he was with Caleb's pack. "I offer this as proof," he spoke holding the ring between his index finger and thumb.

Carefully, Andrew reached out and accepted the ring, before placing it in his palm to examine. "What if I decide I don't wanna answer to you? So far, I'm not a fan."

Mighty stared at the naïve werewolf for a moment before he chuckled darkly. "Testing my patience, I see. Allow me to show you what will happen if you don't." He rubbed his thumb and index finger together in a circular motion and suddenly; Andrew felt his bones begin to crack as if he was about to take his wolf form during the day. He cringed, holding back cries of pain to keep the other mortal patrons from noticing. Mighty smirked contently at his suffering. "I could make an example of you—show your pack what happens when Aurora's requests are denied," he warned quietly.

"Okay, okay," he grunted in a hushed voice. "Please, make it stop," he begged through clenched teeth.

"Wonderful," Mighty replied, stopping his magical torture. Andrew's tense stance eased and he panted catching his breath. The armadillo hopped off the bar stool and stood. "That ring comes at a price, and you'll begin paying for it today," he pointed.

Andrew watched as the powerful warlock left the bar with grace, not bothering to look back. Once he was gone, Andrew pulled out his cellphone and went through his contacts before stopping on the name he was looking for, Caleb. He put the phone up to his ear and waited for the line to pick up. "Caleb, it's me. You're gonna wanna hear this…"

•~•

Back at Shadow's estate, Amy came into the dining room only to find Shadow in the middle of a conversation with a compelled mortal butler. "Make sure to tell the chef to cut out the salad part of our dinner. I want to get through this dreadful evening as quickly as possible," he grumbled. The butler bowed his head and walked off, leaving Amy alone with Shadow.

"You sure seem to be putting in a lot of effort towards this dinner for someone you can't stand. I mean the fact that you hired and compelled a waiting staff just proves it," Amy noted before glancing at the table. The table set was quite extravagant, with silverware, beautiful décor, and ironed tablecloths.

"Well, I may not enjoy the company, but I've always enjoyed throwing a good dinner party," Shadow excused as he picked up a champagne glass off the table.

She laughed at his response. "Right…well, I just got off the phone with Caleb and it turns out, letting Andrew survive paid off."

He held the champagne glass to the light looking for fingerprints to wipe off as he listened. "How so?"

"Caleb has Andrew working as a double agent—you know, to help us get more information on what your mother is up to?"

He lowered the glass back onto the table after finishing his inspection. "Hm, quite clever," Shadow commended.

"Caleb wanted me to let you know that Andrew said that your mother has a partner in crime—another witch."

Shadow sighed, rubbing the skin between his eyes. "Building alliances in her quest to destroy us, I imagine. It doesn't surprise me really," he droned.

Amy crossed her arms over her chest. "Why does she hate you so much? I mean, she had three kids, it's not like she doesn't have the maternal gene."

"Four actually," he corrected solemnly. "And I think at one time, she loved us very much."

"Oh, that's right. I completely forgot…" Amy took a few steps closer; her curiosity now peaked. "But now that you reminded me, you've never told me exactly what happened to the fourth?"

"Our sister, Dove, was killed when I was just a boy," he informed. "I took her out with me to watch the wolves transform one night, but I wasn't prepared when a group of them attacked us and took her life…"

Amy placed a hand over her heart, after hearing of the tragedy. "Oh, Shadow, I-I'm so sorry."

"She was only four when she died, but the loss of my younger sister pushed my mother over the edge. That's what drove her to use her magic to turn us into immortals—that way, she'd never lose a child again," he recounted. "And I think that's when she loved us the most, but it was also her undoing."

"What happened after that?"

"It triggered a sequence of events that led to the reveal of her long-held secret. My birth father was the werewolf whose pack killed my little sister. Of course, when Coal found out, he murdered my real father and my mother lost her lover too."

Amy's ears lowered sadly after hearing the origin story. "Wow…no wonder she's crazy. I couldn't imagine what I'd be like if Faith had died."

Seeing the thought was bringing Amy's mood down, Shadow quickly tried to shift the conversation. "You know, my brothers used to tell each other she didn't hate us, but the truth was, she hated herself for what we'd become."

"Mephiles and Silver really believed that?" Amy questioned in disbelief.

"I think they believed it even after she tried to kill us all, eventually Silver came to his senses after wanting to hopelessly believe our mother had good intentions."

"What did you believe at the time?"

His eyes fell to the floor as he contemplated her question. "I don't know," he replied. "I just knew I wanted her dead."

Amy walked closer to him, trying to keep up his optimism. "Well, every good story needs a wicked witch. It'll be all the more satisfying when we melt her," she grinned.

He gave out a small chuckle at her comment and stroked her right cheek by her dark humor. "I concur."

•~•

In the city, Silver and Blaze entered a store only to be met with strange objects in jars, lit candles, books, herbs in bags and other strange concoctions. As they walked further back into the store, they spotted the person they were looking for. Standing behind the counter was an older, but beautiful, female lilac echidna in her 40s with long, luscious, dreads. The witch was fully in her element as she ground herbs into a bowl. "I'm sorry, but I'm busy," she spoke not even bothering to look up at the two.

"Yes, making some herbal concoction I see," Silver observed as he and Blaze encroached towards her.

"Herbal remedies for a neighbor," she specified as she continued her task. "But I'm guessing that an Original is not here to discuss my remedies," she guessed dryly as she looked up from her project.

"You're correct, I'm not. We're actually here to ask a favor," he began.

"This town is crawling with witches, go ask one of them," she quickly dismissed.

"Please, Gala-Na," Blaze intervened. "I've heard you are one of the best and most accomplished witches in this city. You have talent and experience that not even I have."

Gala-Na raised a suspicious brow, flattered by her words and intrigued to know what they'd have to offer her. "And exactly what am I going to receive in return if I help you?"

Silver looked around the store, noticing it in desperate need of fixing. "I noticed that bureaucracy has not been kind to your community." His fingers grazed another counter top, noticing the dust that came with it. He rubbed the dust between his fingers in pity. "Those tax incentives on local businesses have been stalling for months—of course, a persuasive person could potentially remove any red tape," he hinted with a wink.

She smiled slightly, seeing an opportunity to seize. "I'm listening..."

He returned a smile, now that he had grabbed her attention. "A certain someone, let's say a witch, has a troublesome tendency of jumping into other bodies. When she does so again, I'd like to know whom she jumps into."

"You want a soul branding spell?" Gala-Na figured by the description.

Silver nodded. "What will you need to complete this?"

"I'll require an item that's been spelled by the witch in question," Gala-Na explained.

"Then I shall retrieve the enchanted item." Silver looked to Blaze and the two headed out the door.

Silver exited the store first and Blaze stopped just by the door and looked back at the echidna. "Thank you again, Gala-Na. You have no idea how much this has helped us."

"Of course, just make sure your boyfriend gets that item to me as soon as possible," she reminded. Blaze nodded with a smile and then left.

Once they were gone, Gala-Na went back to her remedy and began to continue to grind up herbs. A few moments later, the bell to her store door jingled again. She looked up, only to see a red and black armadillo slithering up towards her counter. "Can I help you?"

He eyed her up in down with evil intentions in mind. "I'm most certain that you can," he replied smoothly.

•~•

Back at Shadow's estate, Shadow and Amy rummaged through the attic, looking in boxes for an item enchanted by his mother. "What exactly are we looking for again?" Amy questioned after opening another box.

Shadow did the same in another corner of the room. "Looking for a specific necklace that my mother enchanted when I was a boy."

Amy continued rummaging through her box until she pulled out a painted portrait. She blew off some dust and stared at the piece, admiring the detail and beauty in it. "Wow, Shadow, did you do this?"

Shadow halted his searching and looked over his shoulder to see what she was looking at. He scowled at the sight before walking over to look at it more closely. "Unfortunately…" he droned

"What's up with the tone? It looks so lifelike! You've got quite the talent," she praised.

He stopped beside her and took the painting from her hands. "I appreciate the compliment, but this is a portrait I painted of my mother."

"That's your mom?" she repeated. Just from looking at the picture Amy could see that Silver definitely favored his mother in looks. She was white just like him, with long flowing quills that stopped at her waistline. Her eyes were a striking amber, and she had a few bangs over her eyes. "She was quite beautiful."

Shadow rolled his eyes at her comment. "Beautiful, but deceiving," he mumbled under his breath as he tossed the portrait to the side. Amy cringed as she heard the painting collide with the floor, but Shadow continued his search in the boxes Amy had started. He looked relieved when he found the item he had been looking for. "Ah, ha!" He pulled out a wooden jewelry box and opened it up. Inside the box was a necklace containing a metal bird pendant.

"This is what your mom made you?" Amy pointed.

He nodded. "Yes, she made this for me a very long time ago," he said as he stared at the old piece of jewelry.

~Flashback 990 Years Ago~

Inside their old cottage home, Shadow's mother Ivy sat at the kitchen table finishing a spell. "Come over here, Shadow," she beckoned kindly.

A young, eight-year-old Shadow made his way over to the table where he watched his mother dip a necklace with a bird pendant into a bowl full of ink. "Why a bird, mother?" Shadow asked curiously, as he peeked over the tabletop.

"Birds are sacred to our village," she spoke before pulling it out of the ink and dipping it into a small mound of sand on the table. "They're the reason we find land. They're how your father and I found our home." She finished her spell, by wiping off the remnants of sand and ink with a cloth before she placed the necklace around Shadow's neck.

He took the bird pendant dangling from his neck and looked at it in his hand. "What do I do with it?"

She stroked the top of his head. "If ever you are lost, scared, or in need of me, just clasp the bird in your hand, think of me, and I will come," she instructed.

Shadow looked down at his necklace in admiration. "Do Mephiles and Silver get one of these, too?"

Ivy looked conflicted of her response, as she contemplated on how to properly answer his question. "I love all my children," she said as she reached out and held his hand in hers. "—But you, Shadow, you're the most special," she smiled warmly. "That's why I'm giving this to you. Promise me you will wear it, always."

Shadow nodded eagerly with a smile. "I promise."

She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "That's a good boy, Shadow."

Later that night at a bonfire in the village, Shadow, and his family danced to music by some local villagers. Shadow and Ivy danced along with the other villagers as they held each other's hands and spun in circles. "Your father may teach you to hunt, but I shall teach you to win the heart of the prettiest girl in the village," Ivy laughed. The two broke out into a fit of giggles as they enjoyed the night, but not everyone was enjoying the festivities. Sitting on one of the logs nearby, was Shadow's older brother, thirteen-year-old, Mephiles.

As Mephiles watched the two dance and smile together, he couldn't help but scowl at the sight after overhearing his mother's conversation with his younger brother. What had made Shadow more special than the rest of them anyway? He was sure he'd find out and put an end to the obvious favoritism.

Suddenly, Ivy gasped and pulled away from Shadow as she noticed something troubling. Her eyes focused on Shadow's chest, making him confused. "Where is your necklace?"

Shadow put a hand to his neck, realizing the item had vanished. He panicked as he frantically looked around in the dirt. "It must have fallen off!"

Ivy began to look around herself, growing more concerned by the second. "You need to find it now, immediately!"

"—It's all right, mother," another voice spoke. The two looked at them only to see Mephiles saunter towards them. "I found it," he spoke heroically. They watched as he reached into his pocket and pull out the lost necklace.

Ivy sighed in relief. "Oh, thank heavens, you owe a great thank you to your brother, Shadow," Ivy retrieved the lost item from Mephiles and stood behind Shadow to secure the necklace back around his neck. "Go on," she encouraged.

Shadow looked up to his older brother and gulped nervously. He had always felt inferior and out of touch with him. "Thank you, Mephiles," he mumbled shyly.

"I've always got your back, _little_ brother," he smirked arrogantly.

~End Flashback~

Back in the present, Mighty and Aurora walked through the witch cemetery as Mighty briefed her up to date on their plan. "I found you someone who I think will be the perfect fit for your new body, mother."

"Really now?"

"Yes, I placed a mark on her earlier today. She's already prepared for you to jump into if need be," he explained. "And she has no idea she's been destined to be another surrogate. I made sure to erase her memory afterward."

The two turned a corner together. "Wonderful, but I really need for you to attend dinner with me tonight. Your means of persuasion will be needed there. Speaking of which, have we received any response to our invitation?"

"I imagine your message had quite the effect," he mused. "But about their response, they haven't exactly replied, but I've seen Shadow and Silver on the move all day," he noted. "Earlier today, I was eavesdropping in on Silver and Blaze and I overheard them conspiring against us. The plan they have in store will go completely awry tonight thanks to me," he snickered. They also still seem to be completely ignorant to my existence."

She chuckled lowly. "Of course they'd conspire, clever boys." They stopped by the cemetery entrance and Aurora turned to look at her son. "Make sure you're ready for them this evening."

He nodded. "I've handled everything as you've instructed so far."

She smiled lovingly at him and patted the side of his face. "I'd expect nothing less from you, my darling Mephiles."

•~•

It was getting close to dinner time, and last minute preparations were being put into place. Amy watched as Shadow searched his closet for the perfect attire to wear. "Since I'm forbidden from attending the party, I figured I could bring the enchanted item over to Gala-Na, just to help out."

Shadow duly sorted through his clothing options. "I'd prefer to keep you in my sight, or at least in the sight of someone I can trust—like Caleb for example."

"—It's okay, Shadow. I'll go with her," Blaze volunteered. Amy and Shadow turned and spotted Blaze and Silver standing in the doorway.

"She's right, Shadow. Amy should be fine with Blaze," Silver defended.

He mulled over the idea for a moment. "I suppose you're right," Shadow walked over to his dresser and picked up the necklace. Amy walked over and took it from him. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will," she smiled. "Blaze and I will take Faith over to Caleb's to babysit in the meantime and once we're done with our errand we'll go back to Caleb's camp and stay there until your dinner is over."

"Alright then," Shadow looked over to his brother. "You ready?"

"As ready as I can be," Silver replied.

•~•

AN: Well, we all know this dinner is going to go terribly.

Remember to leave a review, your hopes and predictions!


	4. House of Rising Son

•~•

Later that evening, Shadow and Silver patiently waited in the dining room for their unwanted guest to arrive. Growing impatient, Shadow looked at his wristwatch, seeing that his mother was nearly fifteen minutes late, causing him to groan in frustration. He pulled at the collar of his suit, already growing tired of wearing it. "Are these outfits really necessary?"

After pouring fresh water into all the glasses, Silver turned to look at his younger brother. "Appearance is a way of showing respect. Mother will be more likely to surrender her true intentions if she thinks she has our respect," he reasoned.

Shadow rolled his eyes at his theory. "Well, I doubt her guard will drop because I'm dressed like a bloody lawyer," he grumbled.

Silver struck a match, igniting a flame. "We need every advantage we can get," he countered while lighting the candles on the table.

Shadow watched his brother walk around the table, making sure everything was in its proper place. "You always did excel at diplomacy, but just know if she tries anything, I'll tear her new body to pieces," he said with a dark smile.

An unfamiliar chuckle arose from the dining room entryway, and a black and red armadillo sauntered into the dining room in a dashing black suit. "You two still haven't changed a bit," the stranger chuckled darkly as he stopped at the other end of the table. The brothers exchanged uncertain looks before focusing back on the stranger in their household. Seeing their confused expressions, Mighty continued to uphold a devious smile. "You do realize linens and silk can't disguise your pathetic self-loathing." His eyes focused on Shadow in particular. "And you…despite your arrogant façade, you're still the same paranoid little boy full of hate and fear."

Silver slowly made his way towards the armadillo, already quite insulted by the stranger's criticism of his brother. "Forgive me, but I don't believe I've had the pleasure…"

Mighty feigned offense and placed a hand on his heart. "Aw, you mean you don't recognize me?" Hearing silence as their response, he scoffed by their ignorance. "So much for the unbreakable bonds of family," he tsked.

Shadow's eyes narrowed as it finally clicked—his pompous attitude, his knowledge on both of them, and finally how he carried himself. "Mephiles…"

Mighty smirked. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's eat." The three brothers took a seat at the dining room table together. Shadow snapped his fingers and a compelled waitress came in and poured them all a glass of wine.

Silver stared hard at his older brother from across the table, studying him intently. "Mother brought you back, too?"

Mighty nodded pleasantly. "Yes, she figured we needed to start off fresh." He lifted the glass of red wine to his nose and inhaled the delightful earthy aroma. "Ah, yes, what an aromatic Bordeaux."

"Well, it was a challenge to find a good pairing," Shadow disclosed as he swirled the wine in his own glass. "What wine goes well with treachery?" he said passively.

"Oh, don't pout, little brother. Tonight is meant to be a happy occasion," Mighty scolded playfully.

"And what exactly are we celebrating?" Silver questioned.

"Why, my return, of course! I'm rather enjoying this new body. Especially when I can stroll about my lovely city, that you two have made your home," he said a little bitterly. "Please though, catch me up on what I've missed since I've been gone."

"Everything has been relatively pleasant since I killed you after you tried to take away everything I ever loved."

"Let bygones be bygones," Mighty dismissed as he waved a hand. "You needn't worry, though, I have no intentions of hurting Amy again or my little niece," he assured. "The time to sacrifice your daughter has passed and would gain me nothing in return at this point."

"I doubt you'll make it out of this dinner alive if I have a say," Shadow snapped.

Silver leaned back in his chair, looking rather annoyed. "Is mother going to grace us her presence, or has she decided on eating elsewhere?"

"She's coming," he assured. "And when she arrives, she'll be sitting at the head of the table," Mighty gestured.

"Why have you decided to side with our mother anyway?" Silver probed. "Do you not remember when she tried to kill us all five hundred years ago?"

"Mother made me see the errors of my way while I was in purgatory with her. She convinced me to come back and help you two see the light. She wants us to be a family again. Change is inevitable, dear brother."

Shadow let out a hearty laugh by his subtle threat. "You would dare challenge us as mere mortals? The only thing inevitable is _your_ death," he pointed.

"Same old Shadow. Still using threats to show off your bravado," he said as he shook his head in pity. "With all this entertainment, I'm rather enjoying my evening."

"And I'd enjoy it too if you got to your point," Shadow growled.

Mighty looked between his two brothers. "What's with the attitude? You've always treated me so unfairly. Why have you and Shadow always resented me?"

Silver crossed his arms over his chest. "Because like father, you've always despised our supernatural existence once it was discovered that mother had an affair with another villager. You and father tortured and abused Shadow daily. I watched day after day as you two ganged up on him, beating him, making him feel worthless and weak. You've always been pretentious and dull, much like how this meal has turned out to be," Silver finished passively.

"—Oh, my darling sons," a feminine voice spoke from around the corner. All eyes shot in that direction only to see Aurora enter the room in a black ball gown. She clasped her hands together. "How I've missed you."

•~•

In the city, Amy and Blaze met with Gala-Na to start the soul-branding spell. With twenty minutes into the spell, Amy was already growing bored. "So, how much longer is this going to take?" Amy questioned as she watched Gala-Na work independently.

Gala-Na stopped stirring her cauldron with her spoon. "You want me to soul-brand the resurrected spirit of a thousand-year-old witch—it's best I take my time and do it correctly," she spoke directly. "Speaking of which, I need the enchanted item now."

"Right," Amy replied as she pulled out the necklace. Gala-Na took it from her and Blaze and Amy watched the witch carefully.

"How exactly does this work, Gala-Na?" Blaze questioned as she took mental notes for the future.

"The next time she jumps into a body, she'll be marked with a distinctive symbol on the back of her right hand," she explained. "This way you'll always know who she is. The brand will look just like this bird pendant."

•~•

Back at the dinner party, things were still incredibly tense now that their mother had shown up. Shadow glared at her across the table with a frown. "Why don't you just say what you came here to say already, so we can end this wretched evening?"

"It pains me that you and Silver look at me with such disdain," Aurora spoke sadly. "I wish you could see that my every action has been to protect you."

"You actually believe that, don't you?" Shadow scoffed in regale. "I knew you were a liar, but now I see you're utterly delusional."

"If you can, forget the hatred that you cling to, try and remember all the times I've mended and healed you," she pleaded. Shadow grumbled as he shifted in his seat. Aurora looked over to Silver for backup. "Silver, do you recall the day Shadow challenged your father to a duel?" Silver looked over to Shadow as he remembered the event. "Did I leave your brother to die alone?" she continued. "What did I say when you came to me and asked me to help him?"

"…That you would rather die than watch any of your children suffer," Silver recalled.

~Flashback~

Aurora followed the sound of an agonizing scream echoing through the forest. Following the cries of pain, she eventually found the one she had been searching for. Now sixteen years old, Shadow was pinned to a tree with a sword plunged through his right shoulder. Seeing the austerity, Ivy rushed to his side. "What happened?"

"I-I challenged him," Shadow answered as he shut his eyes, wincing in pain.

"What were you thinking?" she scolded.

"I thought if I could just beat him, just once, he would see that I'm worthy," Shadow explained through pained gasps.

Aurora placed one hand on the handle of the sword, while her other hand rested on his shoulder. "You need to hold still."

With one quick pull, she yanked the sword out of his shoulder, freeing him from the tree. Shadow screamed as it was ripped out of his flesh. "GAHH!" He slunk down the tree into a sitting position trembling.

Ivy collected some moss off the ground and pressed it up to his wound. "Shadow, calm down," she cooed. "Everything's going to be fine."

"He laughed at my challenge," he gasped. "He said he would take this from me as a prize after defeating me," Shadow explained as he held up his beloved bird necklace. "We began to fight and he knocked me down—he cut the bird from my neck and I grew so angry," he uttered.

Ivy's eyes grew wide as she listened to his tale and description. "What happened next?"

"I hit him, again and again. I even cut him…"

"Is he still alive, Shadow? Did you—did you kill him?" she asked almost terrified to hear the answer.

Shadow shook his head weakly. "No, he's still alive. Once I had defeated him, he was so enraged that he struck me with his sword." He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "I wouldn't let him take this necklace from me because it was your gift to me," he spoke proudly.

Ivy smiled at him. "You're a good boy, Shadow. You did the right thing."

~End Flashback~

Shadow blinked a few times, coming out of his daze as he remembered that faithful day. "The necklace…it wasn't spelled to protect me. It was to make me weak on purpose," he realized.

"I sought to protect you from yourself," Aurora defended calmly. "If you would've killed your father in that duel or anyone over the course of your youth, you would have activated your werewolf curse."

He smashed his hands on the table. "—You ruined me! You left me to suffer at the hands of a father who valued only strength."

"I kept you from becoming a beast for as long as I possibly could," she argued.

"No, you lied to me to hide your own transgressions because of your own fear," he pointed accusingly. "My whole life, I sought the approval by the male I thought was my father, but you turned me into the weakling he hated," he spat. Aurora lowered her head solemnly and Shadow stood from his seat in disgust. "You rant and you rage about the monster I've become, but you, _mother_ ," he leered. "You are the author of everything I am."

Right as he finished his tirade, Aurora's eyes rolled in the back of her head, and she slumped over in her chair. Silver and Mighty stood from their seats in alert, while Shadow just stared in hatred, trying to calm his nerves. As Silver went to touch her, Aurora began to stir. "Huh, where am I?" the young teen questioned groggily.

Mighty grinned deviously, realizing his mother spirit had left her body's host. "She's gone." Seeing this was his cue, Mighty snapped his fingers causing Silver's neck to break instantly. The white hedgehog tumbled to the ground, temporarily dead for the time being. The real Aurora, gasped, suddenly growing very frightened by everything occurring around her.

Shadow growled and charged towards the armadillo. "Where is she?" he barked.

But before he could get too close, Mighty raised his hand sending a powerful unseen force that rendered Shadow immobile. Shadow was frozen in place as he felt an agonizing pain radiate through him before he collapsed unconscious.

Mighty looked over to the real Aurora, now completely confused and terrified by the sight around her. "I'd run if I were you before these two wake up." Obliging, the young teen fled from the house without another word.

•~•

Meanwhile, at Gala-Na's store, the mature echidna was still in the process of completing the soul-branding spell. Gala-Na stood in front of a bubbling cauldron as she squeezed a dead snake's blood into the pot.

Amy cringed in reaction, before looking away repulsed. Even though Amy was now a vampire, blood and gore still really creeped her out. "Yuck…"

"I know it's hard to watch, but it's a sacrificial spell. It's not pleasant to perform, but this will get the job done," Blaze assured.

"I realize that, but it still gives me the creeps," Amy shuddered.

After squeezing every last drop into the cauldron, Gala-Na took the bird pendant and tied it around the lip of the pot. "It's almost done," she confirmed before wafting the smoke emitting from the cauldron. She kept her eyes closed. "Mur-rah, ru-mah, mur-ra-" Gala-Na froze and stopped her chanting. Her head dropped downwards and she leaned her hands on the table for stability.

At first, the two girls thought it was a part of the process, but as time ticked on, the girls shot incredulous looks to one another by her strange behavior. Then finally, Gala-Na slowly looked up and around at her surroundings.

Blaze took a step closer, sensing something was off. "Gala-Na, are you all right?" she asked, concern caked in her tone.

Gala-Na continued to look around the store. "Yes…"

"It's just, you seem confused?" Amy noted, eying her strangely.

Gala-Na lifted her right hand and touched her face. "I'm just getting my bearings," she replied.

It was then that both Amy and Blaze eyes widened when they spotted the branded mark along Gala-Na's hand. It was there, clear as day—the bird pendant used for the spell, branded on her hand. Somehow Ivy had managed to possess Gala-Na's body!

"The mark!" Blaze pointed as the two females stepped back in fear.

Gala-Na raised her hand and clenched a fist, keeping both girls frozen in place, and preventing them from running off. "Don't you two go anywhere now, we have much to discuss," she smiled darkly.

•~•

Back at Shadow's estate, the two brothers woke up after being knocked out by Mephiles. Shadow paced around the table, still miffed about the disastrous dinner party, but oblivious to the fact that Amy and Blaze were now in danger. "Our mother orchestrates this entire evening, just to torture us and then vanish? It makes no sense."

Silver stroked his chin as he contemplated the thought. "What if we weren't' the only minds she planned to poison tonight?" Silver deduced.

Shadow stopped his pacing just as his eyes widened in fear. "Amy…"

"—And Blaze," Silver realized.

•~•

At that same time, back at Gala-Na's store, Amy and Blaze stood in a standoff with the ancient witch, wondering what exactly she had in store for them. It was then that Amy felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, but was too terrified to answer it in fear of Ivy's wrath.

Although the two girls looked too petrified to move, Ivy was busy cleaning up her appearance. When she heard Amy's phone vibrating, she looked towards her with a gentle smile. "Go ahead, answer it," she encouraged.

Reluctantly, Amy answered the call and put the phone to her ear. On the other end, Shadow was relieved to hear Amy pick up. "Rose, where are you two?"

"We're at Gala-Na's shop and-" Gala-Na waved her hand and Amy's phone shut off, cutting off her phone call with Shadow completely. Amy shot her a bewildered look by her action.

"That'll be enough," Gala-Na smiled as she lowered her hand.

Blaze tried to refrain from showing she was intimidated. "Shadow and Silver are going to come for us you know."

Gala-Na chuckled. "My darling, that's been the idea all along."

•~•

After hearing the phone conversation cut short, Shadow and Silver feared the worst and anxiously made their way towards their destination. The two sped down the road into town. "Why would she want Blaze and Amy?" Silver questioned, having horrendous thoughts go through his mind. The possibilities were endless and were making Silver feel sick to his stomach.

Shadow clenched the steering wheel at the thought himself. "To kill them, to punish us," Shadow conjectured. "There are a number of reasons—all of which will be rendered moot when I send her screaming back to hell," Shadow growled angrily.

•~•

Back at the shop, with the boys on the way, Gala-Na believed now was the perfect time to pitch the two girls her idea. "First of all, it's so lovely to meet the two girls who captured my son's hearts," Gala-Na started. "Tell me, do my sons ever acknowledge the good you bring into their lives?" Her eyes directed towards Amy after they refused to respond. "After all, it was you who gave them Faith."

"What did you do to my friend now that you're in Gala-Na's body?" Blaze interrogated.

"Oh, you mean Aurora? She's perfectly fine, she's got control over her body once more. She's free."

Amy crossed her arms over her chest. "And what exactly do you want with us?"

"I want to offer you freedom—the gift of a new body. Freedom from being a vampire," she specified.

Amy looked surprised and also intrigued by the proposal. "You…you do?"

She nodded. "I have the ability to return to you all that you have lost—to make it so you can have a family of your own. You can have more children and enjoy the life you once had as a mortal."

Amy found herself lowering her guard by the proposal. "Wow, that's some offer…"

"—Don't listen to her, Amy," Blaze warned. "She's just trying to manipulate and deceive us!"

"On the contrary, I am only trying to give those what they desire. I know Amy loathes the fact that she is a vampire—which she should," she added. "That's why I am offering her the chance to have the life she truly craves."

"How can we even believe you?" Blaze countered with scrutiny. "I've heard the stories. Not to mention you were the one ultimately behind Faith's sacrifice."

"I can offer you what you desire as well," she hinted.

"Well, I'm already a witch and a mortal, so I doubt there's much you could offer me."

"That's true, but your beloved is not a mortal," she countered, hitting a note for the cat. Blaze lowered her guard, and Ivy smiled seeing she had caught her attention. "That's right, I know you dwell on the idea that although you are hopelessly in love with Silver, he will remain the same and you will age. Eventually, you will pass on and he will live on this Earth for eternity."

Blaze shut her eyes, trying to block out the witch's manipulation. As hard as it was to hear, Ivy had made some fair points. Somehow, she had managed to tap into Blaze's greatest fear and exploited it right before her. "I also know you wish to start a family with him, but you're unable to since he's a vampire. If I were to give Silver a mortal body, you could accomplish all your hopes and dreams and start a family with him."

Blaze fell to her knees. "You're…you're lying."

Gala-Na crossed her arms over her chest. "Not at all, my dear, and I think deep down, you realize that, too. Oh, and as for Faith, I didn't want to kill her, but that child is going to be a very powerful witch, and I was trying to save her."

"Save her?" Amy repeated with scrutiny. "How is murdering an innocent child best for her?"

"Because of the power she holds, I can tell you that her life will not be an easy one to live. Once she gets older, people will come for her, and try to weaponize her for their own sick desires," Gala-Na explained. "I was strong at her age and there were many times in my life where people came after me or my family to harbor my magic. Based off my senses, there will be one day she'll even outmatch me in power."

"If you come after her-"

"I don't plan to now, I've decided that I will help Faith nurture her gifts and teach her all I know. If she is going to live in this cruel world then she needs to know how to protect herself."

Amy narrowed her eyes. "Who says I'm letting you anywhere near my daughter?"

Gala-Na gave a coy knowing smile. "I know there will be a time where you'll come for my help. Just you wait."

"—Mother!" a familiar male voice shouted from the back of the store. Amy and Blaze turned and smiled in relief to see their boyfriends come to their aid.

"Shadow!" Amy smiled. Shadow embraced her but refused to take his eyes off his mother from across the room. Amy pulled back from her hug when she felt his stiff stance. "…Shadow?"

"Stay behind me," he instructed as he moved in front of her. "Now, as for you," Shadow pointed toward Gala-Na as he marched towards her, but Gala-Na quickly threw some sand towards him, putting up a boundary spell. Shadow growled as he was prevented from getting any closer. "You hide behind your spells like a coward…"

"I did not come here to wage war," she spoke sternly.

Silver kept his arm around Blaze protectively. "Everything you do is an act of war. If you hurt our girls, so help me-"

"—Amy and Blaze are free to go and they are unharmed," she cut off. "I've spoken my piece and they know why I'm here. After all, I have come to heal our family, Silver."

Shadow scoffed at the notion. "Well, that's a grand sentiment coming from you." He looked to the two girls. "Get out of here," he ordered.

Amy and Blaze nodded and quickly left the store, leaving Shadow and Silver alone with their mother. "My intent was never to harm, only to heal, as I have already done with your brother Mephiles," Gala-Na defended. "For you two, I will undo everything that has been done, thereby giving you a new life," she pledged.

Silver stared skeptically at his mother. "And how exactly do you intend to carry out this promise?"

"Ask your girlfriends to share with you my loving proposition," she smiled sweetly.

Shadow's fist clenched at his sides. "You're a fool if you think we'll accept anything you offer."

"Oh?" she laughed. "You are wrong, Shadow. There will come a time when you'll beg for it." With her final words, a bright light formed behind her, forcing Shadow and Silver to shield their eyes from the intense brightness, but when the light dimmed, she was gone.

•~•

Once safely back at home, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, and Amy sat in the living room to discuss the offer Ivy had pitched. "Besides our mother's rebirth, what else did she say?" Silver probed.

"She rambled a lot, but she said she wants to make us all mortals and take away our vampirism," Amy answered simply.

Shadow raised a brow by her tone. It almost seemed like Amy was possibly considering it. "I hope you're not seriously thinking about taking up her offer."

Amy rose from the couch. "Well, what do you want me to say, Shadow? That I've never thought about being mortal again? We all know that would be a lie. So yeah, when your mother offers to wipe the slate clean, excuse me if I'm tempted."

Shadow stood from his seat and approached her. "Amy, I know how much you hate being this way, but we can't trust her."

"I have to be honest here," Blaze piped in. "I've considered her offer as well, but not for me…" She turned and looked to Silver sitting beside her. "But for you."

Silver shot her a solicitous look. "Why?"

"Because you know how much I'd love to start a family of our own," she explained. "I know it's selfish, but I want to have children with you, Silver—Also, I don't want to outlive you and know that I'll never be able to see you again," she finished feeling tears prick her eyes.

Shadow sighed as he looked between the two females. "I can see that Mother has accomplished her motives tonight…"

"What if for this one time she's actually trying to do good?" Amy theorized. "Is there no possibility of that?"

"For as long as we've known our mother, she has always had a wicked agenda. After all, it was her coven that tried to take our daughter from us!" Shadow argued.

"Stop!" Silver spoke seeing tensions were rising. "Let's not get into any arguments tonight. We'll sleep on it and in the morning we'll discuss it further—sound fair?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Good. Girls, why don't you head to bed and get some sleep?" he advised.

Amy and Blaze left the living room and headed upstairs. Once they were gone, Shadow looked to Silver, looking concerned after seeing the girls had bought into their mother's promises. "Our mother—the female that brought us into the world and made us who we are, lied to me for most of my life. She made me weak. We cannot trust her."

"You're wrong, Shadow," he spoke turning around to face him. "You were never weak. You are and always have been the most fierce of us all."

Shadow blinked in surprise by his compliment. "You really think so?"

He smiled warmly and shook his head, seeing Shadow startled by the accolade. "In a thousand years, I have never seen anyone successfully stand against you—not even our wicked father," he reminded. "Not one of the countless enemies devoted to your destruction has succeeded." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll protect our home even in the face of an adversary such as our mother, because of that, brother, that is what you do."

Shadow smiled and patted him on the back. It was nice to hear Silver speak so highly of him in this moment, especially when there was once a time they had been distant. "You remain ever the wise counsel, brother. The rest of the family could learn something from you."

•~•

Back at the cemetery, Gala-Na recounted to Mighty on how her meeting went with Amy and Blaze. "Sounds like you've got the females on board, but as for my brothers…you must've known they would never give in without a fight?"

The echidna poured herself a cup of tea. "Of course. Tonight was not an ultimatum, it was an invitation," she elaborated. "I just wanted to get them thinking. After all, only those who know they are lost will ask to be found."

Mighty watched as she came back over to the table with her tea in hand. "Shadow and Silver are defiant by nature and they've grown very strong over the years. How do you expect to show them the errors of their ways?"

She chuckled lightly at the thought. "It's simple. I will systematically destroy everything they hold dear," she answered with a smile. "I've already taken the wolves from Shadow and made them my own. We will take their pride, their joy, and their love and lay it all to ruin."

Mighty chuckled darkly at the notion. "You are delightfully sinister, dear mother."

She smirked. "Yes, and when they're at their lowest point—in their deepest despair, they will have no choice but to beg me to release them from their pain. And because I love them so much—I will."


	5. A Spirit That Won't Break

AN: Thank you, AliciatheWolf45, Nebula the Hedgehog, Captain, MysterySecret, Guest, MissMJS, Sunny, and Janttun3n for your reviews. It is much appreciated. As some of you may have noticed, I have some new artwork for this story! Yes, I commissioned the lovely Myly14 on deviantART for it and she came through amazingly as always! So, if you want to see it up close, check her on DeviantART. Anyway, enough of my chat. Enjoy the chapter.

•~•

Shadow slowly crept into the nursery and smiled when he heard Faith cooing from within the crib. Curiously, he walked over and looked down into the crib. Lying inside, was his child; she looked as beautiful as ever as she laid there smiling up at him. "Hello there, little one," he said softly. Shadow had never felt prouder looking down at his daughter and the only thing that was missing was Amy.

Feeling the need to call for her, he went to turn, but before he could fully turn around, a sharp pain struck his chest. Hearing a loud bone-shattering crack, blood oozed from his open mouth. Terrified and stunned, he looked down seeing the sharp end of the legendary white oak stake poking out from his chest. He looked back only to come face to face with his father.

Coal showed no sign of happiness as he stared at his bastard son. "Hello, boy," he spoke in repulsion. "It's a wonderful day to watch you die," he said with a sadistic smile. Shadow felt the rigamortis set in and his skin and fur began to go gray as his life slipped away.

Just then, the dream ended and Shadow woke up from his night terror. He jolted upright in bed, panting and frantically looking around the room. The dream was so vivid and realistic that he could have sworn he felt the magical stake plunged through his chest in reality. Amy woke up from his sudden movement in bed and turned over to face him. "Mm, Shadow?" she called still half asleep. She rubbed her tired eyes before opening them half way. "Are you okay?" she asked, still a bit groggy.

He looked at her trying to calm his rapid breathing. "I'm-I'm fine," he lied. "Go back to sleep," he softly commanded, while settling back down. Amy was too tired to argue and did as he ordered. She turned over, lying on her side and went back to sleep. Shadow placed his head back down on his pillow, staring up at the ceiling. Perhaps this nightmare was foreshadowing? Shadow had sworn he would find his father and put an end to it, but things had gotten in the way, preventing him from taking action. Maybe today was the day he could end this nightmare.

•~•

That morning, Amy woke up only to find the other side of the bed empty. Sighing, she got out of bed and wandered into the nursery, and found Shadow sitting in the rocking chair bottle-feeding Faith. "Good morning," he spoke softly, catching her attention as she entered the room.

Slowly, and still a little bit bitter from their disagreement last night, Amy approached him. "Morning," she replied quietly.

Shadow cradled the infant in his one arm while he held the bottle in his other. "I hope you're still not upset with me from last night. If so, I would like to explain myself further, if that's alright?"

"No, it's okay Shadow, you don't have to explain," she dismissed waving a hand. "You know your mother better than anyone. So if your gut is telling you not to trust her, you're probably right. It's just—when someone tells me they can grant me something that I want more than anything, it's hard to want to pass up such an offer."

His expression turned dejected by her words. "You really want to be mortal again that _badly_?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I love you any less."

Shadow sighed and put the baby bottle to the side once Faith had finished. He stood up and proceeded to burp her as he walked

. "I've embraced the monster I've become and I guess I shouldn't expect you to do the same…"

Amy watched Shadow place Faith back in her crib once she had burped. "Shadow, I know you had a nightmare last night. Want to talk about it?"

He kept his back to her. "Not particularly."

She fiddled with her hands nervously. "It's just…last night, you seemed really scared, and as long as I've known you, I've never seen you terrified. So it must've been something pretty bad to get that kind of reaction out of you," she postulated as she took a seat on the sofa.

In defeat, he walked over and joined her on the couch. "If you must know, the nightmare was about…my father."

"I've heard only a few things about him—none of which were good. If it's alright with you, I'd like to learn more about him."

Shadow stared at her long and hard, shocked that she'd be invested in learning more about the monster that tormented his past. "I-I could show you," he considered. "But are you absolutely certain you want to see these memories?" he asked in a shaky whisper.

Even if they were as bad as he made them out to be, she still wanted to find out for herself. After all, these events molded Shadow into the person he came to be. "Yes," she replied softly.

"Very well." Shadow turned in his seat, so they were face to face. Amy watched as his hands reached out and cupped the sides of her face. She smiled weakly as she stared into his red eyes, and saw him move in closer, leaning his forehead up against hers. Shadow swallowed the lump in his throat, hoping she realized what she was getting herself into. He tapped into his memories taking her back to when he had first become a vampire nearly a thousand years ago. In an instant, she was whisked away into his memory vault. Everything she saw was as if she was right there in the very moment.

~Flashback~

A now twenty-something Shadow ripped into his very first victim after being turned into a vampire. Once he finished devouring the blood of a helpless male rabbit, he tossed him to the side with blood smeared down his chin. Nearby, Silver, Mephiles, and his father Coal stood and watched as Shadow became satisfied with feeding his hunger.

"I did it," Shadow spoke proudly, turning to look at them. Shadow looked down at his bloody hands. "I can feel the power running through my veins." Shadow started to approach the three. "Now we can all be-" He stopped mid-sentence as his right leg made a horrific crack, causing him to fall to his knees. "Augh!" His right leg had broken before their eyes. "Shadow!" Silver exclaimed seeing his pain-ridden expression. The white hedgehog tried to rush forward to help his brother, but Coal and Mephiles grabbed him and held him back as they too watched in horror.

"Don't! He's dangerous," Mephiles bellowed.

For the first time, Amy watched Shadow look absolutely terrified with his first transformation. She realized then, this must have been when Shadow's father had discovered that he wasn't his real son.

Shadow continued to cry out in pain as the bones in his legs broke one by one, slowly and excruciatingly. This moment of deja vu reminded Amy when she had first watched Sonic's transformation take place.

"It hurts," Shadow cried. Another sharp crack rang out. "Aaah, it hurts," he whimpered again. Shadow's bones in his arms cracked and crunched as they took their new form. Shadow kept his head lowered towards the ground as each break began to get worse and worse.

Silver, Mephiles, and Coal stood off to the side, unsure what they could do to help their fallen family member. "What is happening to him, father?" Silver asked.

The sound was sickening and Shadow ripped his head back, revealing his bloody mouth and pair of new canine fangs. His eyes glowed a bright yellow, an indication of the werewolf gene activated. "AUGH!"

Coal narrowed his eyes angrily towards Shadow in realization. "He's a beast—a werewolf."

The flashback fast-forwarded to another event in Shadow's life. Amy watched as she was whisked away to another point in time. Coal was chaining up Shadow to a wooden post that formed like a cross. His arms were held out to his sides as Coal worked on keeping him restrained. Shadow appeared to have been beaten severely as his father chained his right wrist to the wooden posts. Shadow opened his eyes weakly and tried to escape by moving forward, with one wrist restrained, but Coal prevented him from moving anymore. "Silver," he yelled, keeping Shadow held by the shoulders. "Help me hold him down!"

"Please, I have not transformed on a full moon since I was turned," Shadow pleaded. "I can control it, I promise!"

Silver stood off to the side debating on what to do. Shadow's eyes told it all. He was terrified. "Brother, please don't let them do this to me," Shadow cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. Once again, Amy had never seen this side to Shadow before. He had always been fearless around her, and to see him in such a vulnerable state was shocking. It was like she was meeting a completely different hedgehog.

Coal continued his best to keep Shadow restrained but was losing his strength with him. He looked over his shoulder towards his other son. "Do it now, boy. NOW!" he snapped venomously. "He's a monster, he cannot be trusted to be free on a full moon! His kind killed your sister after all."

Deflated with his words, Silver gave in and walked over and helped his father restrain Shadow to the post. As Silver restrained Shadow's left wrist, Shadow looked into his eyes, pleadingly. "Silver, help me…"

"I'm sorry, brother. I'm afraid I cannot," he replied sadly back.

Another flash-forward occurred, flashing to another point in Shadow's life. This time, Shadow looked happy as he and Silver held a mock battle with swords in a simple duel. Their swords clashed together and both had determination in their eyes, eager to win the fight. Silver swiped left trying to catch Shadow off guard, but Shadow blocked his swing with his own sword. "Hah!"

Shadow managed to push his sword away and swing towards Silver's stomach, catching his leather belt and severing it. The belt dropped around his ankles with a thud. "Looks like I win, again."

"You are so cocky, Shadow," Silver laughed.

"Boys!" Another voice shouted. The two brothers turned and looked as Coal and Mephiles approached them. "We use these in battle," Coal said pointing towards their weapons. His head turned to his left where Mephiles stood smugly. "Thank you, Mephiles for giving me the notice," he said patting him on the head. It appeared Mephiles had snitched on the two fooling around.

Shadow lowered his weapon by his side and looked towards the ground in despair. Silver could already see his brother cowering in fear with their father's disappointment. "We were just playing around, father," Silver defended, trying to protect his brother. "It was nothing but simple fun."

"Don't bother, Silver. He needs to learn his lesson," Coal shouted, pushing Silver back. His father reached out and grabbed Shadow by the collar yanking him off the ground. "You need to stop playing your foolish games, _boy_ ," he leered. He took his free hand and punched Shadow hard in the face allowing him to go flying back into the dirt.

"Father, stop!" Silver shouted. He tried to move forward to intervene but felt a strange pull on his body. He looked back and watched as Mephiles cast his right hand out towards him. Mephiles had put a freeze spell on him to keep him from intervening. "Why are you stopping me? Shadow needs our help!"

Mephiles chuckled darkly. "He is not like us, he's a disgrace to our family," he replied.

"He's getting a rightful lesson," Coal added maliciously. "Your wretched mother may have begged me not to kill him, but she can't prevent me from torturing you…" Coal glared as Shadow scooted backward away from him. "Don't you dare crawl away from me, _boy_!" He grabbed his left ankle and dragged him back towards him. Shadow rolled onto his stomach and tried to claw at the dirt to stop his pull, but it was no use.

"No, please don't," Shadow begged. Coal ripped Shadow's shirt open from the behind, revealing his bare back. He took his whip hoisted by his side and began to violently whip Shadow over and over again. Shadow screamed out in agony as the whip inflicted large red, bloody gashes in several places.

"Aaah!" he cried as the whip cracked down again.

Silver watched helplessly as Shadow got the abuse by his vicious father. "Please, stop it!" Coal ignored Silver's pleading and kept on with the lashes.

~End Flashback~

Shadow took his hands away from Amy's head, allowing her to come back to reality. He was sure that was enough she'd want to see for today. When Amy opened her eyes, she hadn't realized that she had been crying the whole time. She touched her right cheek feeling the wetness from her tears. "Shadow," she gasped staring back at his weary eyes. She embraced him, resting her chin on his right shoulder. "No one should ever have to experience what you did."

Shadow felt numb, reliving the events. At first, he did not embrace back and chose to remain stiff instead. He loathed the idea of pity even if it was from someone he truly loved. "It made me strong," he mumbled.

"What he did to you," she began. "It wasn't right," she said breaking away from his embrace. "He hurt you…"

"Now you know why I must put a stop to him."

•~•

Meanwhile, in the witches' Cemetery, Andrew, now a double agent met Mighty and the other rogue werewolves to continue their next stage of the plan. Standing before his flock of loyal followers, Mighty stood tall and proud next to the Mandarin colored pooch. "Today we will start the next stage of our development." Mighty turned and looked to a brown hedgehog in the crowd. "Would you bring me the recruits, please?"

"Yes, sir," the dog bowed. After departing from the crowd, a few minutes later, he returned with some new arrivals.

Andrew grew confused when suddenly; a large batch of children of all ages ranging from ten to sixteen suddenly came out from around the corner. The group of children looked shy and timid as they stood nearby, also uncertain by why they were brought forward. Andrew looked over to Mighty for answers. "What's going on here?"

"Tonight is a blood moon," he began. "One thousand years ago, your people marked this celestial event with a rite of passage—electing not to shrink from their nature, but to embrace it with pride, by slaying a mortal being and activating their curse." Andrew felt his stomach drop at the thought. What he was planning to have these children go through was a frightening thought.

One of the young werewolves raised their hand. Spotting their hand, Mighty pointed towards them. "Yes, little one?"

"What is going to happen to us, mister?"

Mighty smiled and bent down to his level as he patted him on the head softly. "Tonight, as unturned wolves, you will kill with the singular purpose of unleashing that warrior that lives within you," he answered.

"—They're just a bunch of kids," Andrew interjected. "You expect them to kill someone at such a young age?"

"Andrew," Mighty spoke calmly. "We can no longer afford to hide our children from the horrors of war. From now on, you're either with us or against us," he made explicit. Oh, and you might want to spread the word along to your old leader. If he and the others don't join us then it'll be a grave mistake on their part," he warned. Mighty patted the young werewolf on the back, guiding him to follow along with the others. "Now, come along children," he beckoned as he led them off.

Andrew's eyes grew anxious as he watched Mighty herd the children off like a flock of sheep. He needed to warn Caleb and get help to stop this act from happening. He turned on his heel and quickly departed.

•~•

Later that morning, Shadow and Amy stood in the middle of the forest for the next training exercise. Amy did some simple stretching in her gym clothing as she waited for Shadow's instructions. "So, what are we doing today?" Amy asked curiously.

"Today we are going to focus on hand to hand combat," he answered as he slipped on his fingerless gloves.

Amy placed a hand on her hip and grinned slyly. "No more playing keep away, then?"

"As much as I've enjoyed chasing you through the woods, I think we've worked on that enough. It's time to work on defending yourself."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay, what's the first step?"

Shadow stood a few feet away from her and put his hands up towards his face while getting into a fighting stance. "Put up your fists," he instructed. Amy mimicked his actions and waited for further instructions. "Now, I want you to try to hit me."

She looked hesitant on his command, faltering slightly in her stance. "But what if I hurt you?"

He kept his eyes locked on her while he held his position. "You're just going to have to _try_ ," he smirked. "Now go."

"Try?" she repeated with a hint of insult. Did he think she couldn't? Looking determined, Amy threw a hard punch straight at Shadow's chest, but he swiftly caught her fist in the palm of his hand without even blinking, stopping any attack from continuing.

His face turned deadpan by her first lackluster attempt. "As someone who considers themselves a feminist, I refuse to say you hit like a girl."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he released her hand for another go. She tried for a sucker punch, but Shadow dodged her swing with ease. Amy huffed in frustration and placed her hands on her hips. "What am I doing wrong then?"

"Fighting is like having rhythm—there is a music, there is a meter, there is a pattern," he elaborated. "You need to let that rhythm beat within you." He got back into his fighting stance. "Try again."

With his instructions and advice, Amy upped her agility to hit even faster. She swung towards his face with her fists, but Shadow shielded and blocked her hits with the side of his arm. She did a round of kicks towards his side that he also managed to block, but saw she was starting to grasp the concept. "Good, keep going," he praised, seeing she was starting to get it.

He backed up and she threw another punch that he managed to catch once again. With speed, he pulled her in close so their faces were inches away. He smirked down at her causing her to blush. "Once you've established your cadence, you should have the method down."

"You're right, I think I finally understand." Seeing him off guard, Amy took the opportunity and kneed him in the gut, making Shadow grunt in response. It all happened so fast that Shadow hadn't realized that she had him pinned to a tree. When he opened his eyes, she held him in place with her left arm braced horizontally over his chest, while her right hand pressed firmly against where his heart beat.

He observed her position for correction. "Very good," he praised. "For the next step, determine how you will take out your attacker—the head or the heart?"

Amy's expression softened into concern then anxiety. "Wait, what?"

"You must choose how you will take out your enemy once you have them in this vulnerable position. Do you rip out their heart or decapitate them? You need to understand that none of this means anything if you cannot make the kill."

She removed her hand from his chest and let it drop to her side at the thought. Could she really go through with taking a life if she were in such a position? "What if I can't do it?"

"You've shot me in the past with a crossbow and had no issue, what's stopping you now?" he questioned.

"That was different," she grumbled. "That was a long range attack not up and personal like this!"

"You may not enjoy this close contact kill, but I believe in you."

She sagged, feeling unsure of herself, but Shadow was quick to notice her doubt and reached out for her hand and replaced it over his heart. "You will do it to survive," he spoke confidently with assurance. "Now, which is it?"

She sighed in defeat. "The heart I-I guess…"

"Then I want you to pull your right arm back and use all your exertion to drive your hand into my chest and rip out my heart."

"Rip out your heart?" she repeated with uncertainty. "But won't you-"

"—Don't worry about me," he reassured with a chuckle. "Remember, only the white oak stake can end my life. If you rip out my heart, I'll resurrect in time. Trust me, plenty of people have ripped out my heart in the past thinking they finished me, but I always came back," he smirked as he reminisced. "I just need you to practice on me for real life situations."

"O-okay." Amy swallowed the lump in her throat. Having to ram her hand into his chest cavity to rip his heart out was a gruesome thought. She had seen both Silver and Shadow do it plenty of times, and it was gross enough then, but thinking about having to do it herself made her shudder. Amy bit her lower lip and closed her eyes tight as she brought her hand back before rapidly smashing it inside his chest making a loud CRUNCH.

"Augh!" Shadow grunted but held back a stifled cry as her hand rummaged around inside of him. Amy was already starting to feel squeamish as she felt around, past the lungs before reaching his heart. Eventually, she found it and felt his heart beat within her hand as she clutched it. All the while, Shadow's eyes never left her face as he watched her expression twitch and contort into utter disgust. "Come on, Rose," he gasped, feeling himself wince. "You can do it."

She felt her own heart race before realizing she was having an anxiety attack. Amy released her hold of his heart and quickly ripped her hand out of his chest and stepped away. The hole in his chest instantly healed and she backed away before falling to her knees and shaking. "I-I can't do this, Shadow."

He walked towards her, looking crestfallen by her fear to kill. "Deep breaths love," he commanded seeing her erratic breathing. She followed his directive as her breathing ease. Shadow knelt down in front of her looking at her in pity. "Amy, you must learn how to defend yourself. I don't want anything to happen to you when I'm not around."

She stared down at her bloody arm that had once been inside him. "Look, it's like I said, I'm just not cut out to be a vampire."

Shadow brought her into his arms, embracing her softly. "My pure rose," he whispered. "You'll become strong one day, I promise."

She closed her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I know I disappointed you today...I'm sorry."

He rubbed her back. "Don't be too hard on yourself, we'll try again in a few days."

"—Ahem?" Shadow and Amy looked to their right where Caleb and Andrew stood patiently off to the side. Caleb crossed his arms over his chest, looking slightly uncomfortable with interrupting their moment. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to talk."

The four grouped up and began to walk away together, but unbeknownst to them, a figure lowered his binoculars after finally setting sight on his target. Coal smiled a wicked grin. It would only be a matter of time before he could strike.

•~•

AN: Remember to leave a review!


	6. A Closer Walk With Thee

Author's Note: Thank you, Nebula the Hedgehog, MissMJS, aliciathewolf45, risingzero1984, Captain, Destinyxo, and Janttun3n for the reviews on the previous chapter. I really appreciate it. I hope you guys enjoy the next chapters. Things are starting to kick off!

Also, I'm noticing there are a lot of people still getting confused with the characters. Here's a cheat sheet in case you forgot:

Gala-Na the Echidna = Ivy (Shadow/Silver/Mephiles' mother. She's possessing Gala-Na's body)

Mighty the Armadillo = Mephiles the Dark (He's possessing Might's body.)

Hopefully this will clear up any confusion.

•~•

Once they returned back to Shadow's estate, the group convened in the living room to talk about their latest problem. "The witch wants soldiers, so now it's either join up or pay the price," Andrew explained to the group.

Shadow leaned forward on the sofa after hearing what his mother and brother had in store for the young wolves. "I've known Mephiles to be merciless, but I'll admit, this exceeds even my expectations."

"They're just kids, Shadow," Amy interjected, standing by his side. "We can't let Mephiles get away with this."

"She's right," Caleb concurred. "You know this city like the back of your hand if anyone can get them out, it's you."

"And take them where?" Shadow questioned. "Yes, I may be able to help you get them away from my brother's clutches, but then what?"

"We can migrate and hide the children until this blows over," Andrew pitched.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Amy spoke, looking to Shadow for agreement.

Shadow looked over to the dingo. "I will help you, but I must remind you that I fully intend on searching for another imminent threat today that lurks around the corner," Shadow foreshadowed.

"Like what?" Caleb questioned.

"Our father has returned and is searching for my brother and I. I plan to find and destroy him before he finds us," Shadow explained. "He may be a vampire himself, but he's made it his mission in life to destroy his own kind, starting with us."

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck by the description. "Yikes, that does sound pretty bad…"

"Don't worry, brother, while you deal with father, I'll help Caleb and Andrew." Silver rose from his seat, feeling determination flow through him. "I refuse to send these children to war."

•~•

Later in the dining room, Silver, Blaze, Andrew, and Caleb discussed their plans of action. "The kids are being held in the city of the dead until we bring them to the city center and towards the docks," Andrew began. "Meanwhile, Mephiles is holding a meeting with some mortals that he plans to have the children kill to activate their curse."

"These mortals are aware they planned to be slaughtered?" Blaze gasped.

He shook his head. "They have no idea what's coming. Mighty's seduced them in somehow, but if we don't stop him, they'll become another casualty."

Caleb felt his fists clench by his side. "He's going to have the children kill any opposition, even innocents. By activating their curse, it sends a message to anyone thinking about going against him. It's two birds, one bloodbath."

Silver nodded in agreement. "Yes, so we'll have to hit him at the finish point." He looked over to the orange canine. "Will there be other werewolves escorting the children to the drop off point?"

Andrew nodded. "Yeah, there's supposed to be three of us doing that."

"Okay, well, you need to make sure you're one of the those escorting the children to the docks." Silver turned and looked to Caleb. "Caleb, you can shadow them and take out the other two werewolves then help Andrew get the children to safety. Blaze and I will handle Mephiles on our own."

"I'll have transportation waiting for you behind my shop," Blaze added. "The keys will be waiting for you in the ignition. Lead them there and everything should be fine."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Andrew interrupted. "Your mom and your psycho brother are already giving me the stink eye. If these kids go missing on my watch I'm as good as dead," he countered nervously.

"You wanted to help your people and make amends for the past, correct?" Andrew nodded hesitantly. "Then this is your chance. Make it right, Andrew."

Andrew bowed his head as he let the words sink in. They were right, he needed to do whatever he could, even if it caused him his death.

•~•

Once, Silver, Blaze, Andrew, and Caleb left to initiate their plan, Shadow prepared himself as he readied to set off in search for his father. Amy watched as Shadow put on his leather jacket in front of the full-length mirror on the wall by the front door. "You sure you want to do this on your own? Why not wait for Silver to finish this other mission?" Amy questioned with reluctance.

Shadow stared at his reflection as he ran a hand over his quills, smoothing them out. "I've killed him on my own before and I can do it again," he spoke confidently. Amy took a few steps closer, not as certain on his self-assuredness. Hearing her silence, Shadow turned to look at his worried girlfriend. "What's the matter?"

"You've shown me memories of how your father treated you in the past. Yet, you expect me not to worry for your safety?" she asked, in slight offense.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a sincere smile. "I appreciate the concern, love, but let me do the worrying around here."

"You say it like you're so sure, but I can't help it. Please be careful, Shadow," she begged.

He leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips. "I promise." He turned and headed for the front door. "I'll be back either today or tomorrow, but I'll keep you up to date through texts by the hour. How does that sound?"

She huffed, already growing suspicious of his alleged vow. "You better hold that promise, mister."

"Cross my heart," he replied holding up his right hand.

•~•

Later that evening, Andrew led the children through the bustling city center during an annual festival that occurred every autumn in Station Square. The streets were absolutely crowded with drunken mortals dancing to the blaring music with balloons and confetti everywhere. With bright lights and kiosks all up and down the sidewalks, the streets looked submerged with people. While Andrew led the front of the line, two other werewolves devoted led the children on either side as a precaution.

A few yards away, hidden in the crowd, Caleb watched the children follow Andrew, but tried to blend in with the crowd as he moved in closer to take out the other two werewolves. As his targets came closer into view, he unapologetically bumped into people in the streets, earning disgusted glares.

Back up front, Andrew looked over his shoulder at the thirteen children lined up behind him. Most of them looked terrified as they were led to their final destination. "Alright kids, keep moving," he encouraged. The children obliged with his commands and continued to quicken their pace as they navigated through the massive crowd of mortals.

Seeing this as his chance, Caleb quickly made his move and swiftly came up behind one of the werewolves and snapped his neck, allowing him to drop to the ground. Most of the people in the crowd were too drunk or high to even notice the body that had fallen to the ground, and would only assume it to be a drunken person passed out on the streets.

The children rounded a corner, with now the last werewolf member on the other side. Caleb followed them as they rounded a corner into an alleyway. Just as the other werewolf noticed his friend was missing, he felt a sharp stab from his backside. Caleb covered his mouth before he could scream, stifling his cries. Gently, he lowered him to the ground behind a dumpster as he bled out. "I'm sorry," he whispered. The brown echidna, looked up at him with anger before Caleb gave him one last stab in the chest, finishing him.

With the other two escorts dead, Andrew and Caleb led the children behind Blaze's shop to the safe point. There, they found an old ambulance that would accommodate enough room for the children to make their escape. Caleb ran over and opened the back doors. "Alright kids, climb aboard."

One by one, the children climbed inside and found their seats. Once they were all strapped in, Caleb closed the doors, sealing them inside. "I'll drive," Andrew volunteered as he ran over to the driver's seat and climbed in.

While Andrew started up the car, Caleb rummaged into his pocket pulling out his cellphone to send a text message to Blaze and Silver to let them know their first half of the plan had gone down seamlessly.

Unbeknownst to them, a figure stood on one of the buildings above them and watched as the ambulance took off, driving down the back alleys. That figure happened to be Mighty, who had witnessed the entire thing. A grin flashed across his muzzle before he lifted his phone to his ear. "Begin plan B," he instructed to an unknown entity.

•~•

Meanwhile, back at home; Amy finished pouring herself a glass of blood for dinner. She grimaced at the sight, but took a deep breath and drank what was in the glass to satisfy her hunger. Once she finished, she placed the glass down on the kitchen counter right near the video baby monitor. But as she quickly glanced at the screen, her eyes caught something troubling. Standing next to the crib was a male hedgehog figure, watching over her sleeping infant. It was in that moment, that Amy felt her stomach sink with the realization that she had an intruder in her home.

Frantically looking all over the kitchen for a weapon, her eyes landed on a butcher knife in the sink. Quietly and quickly, she grabbed the weapon and made her way upstairs prepared to initiate a battle if it meant saving her daughter. The moment she got upstairs, her heart raced as she approached the nursery door. With a deep breath, she kicked it open but was flabbergasted to find the bedroom empty. Her eyes fell onto the crib, where Faith was still sound asleep, despite her loud entrance. Amy did a quick investigation, looking behind curtains, inside closets and out on the balcony for any sign of the intruder but came up empty.

Relaxing her tense stance, Amy re-entered the bedroom and lowered her knife, resting it on one of the dressers. Perhaps she had just thought she had seen something? But just as she let her guard drop, she felt a firm hand grab her from around the waist, while another hand cupped firmly against her mouth. She tried to let out a muffled cry for help, but an unfamiliar voice tsked her from behind. "Now, now, we don't want to wake my grand daughter, do we?"

Amy froze, suddenly recognizing the voice, but the trespasser turned her neck violently to the side, snapping and breaking it successfully. Her entire body went limp now that she was temporarily dead for the time being. "Easier than I thought," Coal mumbled. He bent down to pick up Amy's body but suddenly noticed Faith sitting up in her crib and staring straight in his direction. Seeing the infant stare at him, Coal decided he'd humor himself with some small talk. "My apologies for being so noisy, but I have plans for your mother."

Faith stared back at him, not in the least bit frightened and sucked on the binky in her mouth. Seeing that he could not strike fear into her, Coal scoffed and returned to his original goal. "Once I'm finished with Shadow and this whore perhaps I'll come back and finish you." Just as his hands went to tuck under Amy's body, he felt a strong and powerful radiating headache begin to build. Coal placed a hand to his forehead and shut his eyes, trying to fight off the agonizing pain. "Gah, damn it!"

Keeping one eye closed, he stared over at Faith, who was still staring dead at him, looking quite innocent. The pain started to increase to an unfathomable pain that he had never felt before. In an instant, Coal was rendered to his knees and felt his whole world begin to shudder. His nose bled and he cried out for mercy. Meanwhile, Amy remained unconscious on the floor, completely oblivious to her daughter's antics.

Realizing this torture was coming from Faith, Coal glared at the child. "How. Is. This. Possible?" he grunted.

Seeing how strong his granddaughter was, Coal quickly scooped Amy up into his arms and zipped out of the room to get away from her mental torture. How could an infant so young be able to use such a technique at that age?

•~•

Meanwhile, Silver and Blaze met at the docks in an empty warehouse where the children were to be brought under Mighty's orders. Unfortunately, Mighty wouldn't be pleased to discover them not arriving. Blaze looked down at her phone after receiving a text message from Caleb. She opened it up to read it.

The message read: _Home Free._

Blaze smiled at the good news and put her phone away. "They got them out, now all we have to do is wait to confront Mephiles." As if on cue, the rest of the werewolves came wandering into the warehouse without Mighty anywhere in sight. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? An Original and a witch?"

Silver remained confident as the group of wolves surrounded them. "Upset that it's not the children instead? I hate to inform you, but the little ones you were expecting are long gone," he smirked proudly.

The werewolf chuckled. "That's fine," he replied calmly. There's actually been a change of plans. The witch wants you now," he pointed.

Silver shot him an incredulous look. "I have no intentions of going anywhere near her again."

"That's too bad because she gave us the instructions to bring you to her tonight," the werewolf replied. "Using the children was a ruse to lure you in."

"Tricked once again," Blaze cursed. "Your mother always seems to be one step ahead of us…"

"Listen to me very carefully," Silver spoke calmly towards the group of wolves. "I told a good friend that I'd do my very best to spare the lives of his people. If you leave right now, I will honor that. Stay, and the situation becomes irrefutably awkward."

"He's right," Blaze seconded. "None of us want to have to hurt you tonight."

The hedgehog got into a fighting stance, clearly giving his final response. Silver shook his head by his answer and sighed in discontent. "Very well."

Silver got into a fighting stance and stood back to back with Blaze. "I'll take the ones on the right," Blaze spoke, eying her competition. The fight was about to commence.

•~•

Twenty minutes later, Amy began to come back to consciousness. Disoriented, she tried to rub at her eyes in her current position, but once again, quickly realized her hands were tightly bound together by some sort of rope drenched in a burning substance. The more she tried to wiggle her wrists out of her binds, the worse the pain increased. Just from her few seconds of struggling, Amy discovered that she was in the back seat of a car in motion. She continued trying to wiggle free from the rope but spotted a dark red rash forming just underneath the ropes. Her wrists were practically raw from the substance. "Ouch," she hissed.

Hearing her sharp gasps of pain, the driver of the vehicle let out a sly chuckle from the front. "Vervain soaked ropes," the male spoke. "Stings, does it not?"

"Vervain?" she repeated in alert. She sat upright and looked towards the driver's seat where she saw the back of a dark gray male hedgehog, driving the vehicle she was in. "Hey, what's the deal? Why did you kidnap me?"

"Do you know who I am?" The stranger looked at her in his rearview mirror and the two locked eyes.

Amy gulped nervously. "You're Coal, Shadow's father."

"So, you're not just a pretty face then," he cracked bluntly before placing his vision back on the road.

Amy narrowed her eyes at him as another thought crossed her mind. "I swear to God if you hurt my daughter-"

"Calm your tits," he interrupted. "I didn't even touch the little bugger, but that girl has some magnificent power."

"Power?" Amy repeated. "She's just a baby."

He took a turn down a road. "I'm telling you, she's no ordinary baby," he interjected. "She nearly killed me back there after I knocked you out."

Amy mulled over his comment for a second. Perhaps Ivy was right; maybe Faith really did have insurmountable power. "You're not the first one to tell me that Faith is strong…" Amy's thoughts shifted to something else. "But enough about my child, what the hell do you want with me?" she questioned, tone hardening.

"I think you know exactly what I want, but rest assured, you'll get plenty of answers on our little car journey," he smirked wickedly.

•~•

With one last brutal rip, Silver finished killing the last werewolf opposing them. Blaze lowered her arms after finishing her last counter attack and panted to catch her breath. Covered in blood, the cat looked around staring at all the bodies and body parts scattered around them. Silver tossed a dismembered arm to the side as he dusted off his bloody hands. "It's a shame that it had to come to this," Blaze noted as she stepped over the fallen bodies.

"They made their choice," Silver replied. "I didn't want to have to kill them, but it was them or us," he defended.

"Did your brother really think this would subdue you?" Blaze asked as she gestured to the fallen werewolves. "I thought he was a lot smarter than that."

Before Silver could open his mouth to answer, he felt an agonizing pain shoot through his brain. "Ahhh!" The pain was so intense that it rendered him to his knees. He clutched the sides of his head as the pain refused to subside, making his head feel unbearable.

"Silver!" Blaze cried as she rushed over to his side.

"—Actually, I'm just getting started," another person vocalized. Blaze looked up and spotted Mighty walking towards them with his hand extended outwards, continuing to inflict his brain trauma on her fiancé. Once he got closer, he clenched his hand into a fist only make the pain even more intense.

"Aah!" Silver screamed.

Blaze's eyebrows furrowed as she stood up to defend him. "Leave him alone," she shouted sticking out her hands for a counter attack, but before she could do anything, Mighty directed his other hand towards her, sending her hurtling backward. The unseen force sent the cat slamming into a crate of boxes making her yelp from the impact. As her body settled on its side, she fell unconscious.

Still on his knees and hunched over, Silver extended his arm out weakly in her direction, reaching for her. "B-Blaze…" he croaked weakly. Because Mighty had taken his attention off of him to attack Blaze, it had given Silver just enough time to regain his composure and strike. Silver growled as he used his agility to smash Mighty up against a crated box and held by the neck. Silver looked at him venomously. "Perhaps your next body will last a little longer than this one, brother." He lifted his free hand, ready to strike at his chest, but once again felt a painful CRACK! He looked down at his chest where he spotted a wooden stake plunging its way out of his chest. He released his hold on Mighty and fell to his knees again.

Mighty smirked wickedly down at his brother before looking behind Silver where Gala-Na stood after stabbing her son through the chest. "I was wondering when you'd make your entrance," Mighty noted.

"I would never leave you hanging, my sweet."

•~•

In the city, Shadow finished doing one thorough sweep of the city before checking in with Amy. He sent her a quick text giving her an update of where he had been and where he planned to head next. After a minute or so, Shadow stared at his phone, finding it odd that he hadn't heard back from her as quickly. Believing she must've had just been asleep, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and continued his journey, oblivious to the fact that Amy had been kidnapped by the exact person he had set out to look for.

•~•

Later, in an unknown location, Silver began to stir after being knocked out at the docks. Feeling weak and groggy as he came to, his amber eyes opened to look around, but he felt his hands and legs bound by cuffs and chains. Silver was being held up by the wrists in chains and appeared to be in some sort of mausoleum. There were lit candles everywhere around him in the darkened room almost in ritualistic fashion. As ideas plagued his mind, he began to panic. He tried to pull at his chains to break free but was shocked to find them unbreakable even with his own insurmountable vampire strength.

"Ah, you're finally awake." Silver looked over to the doorway where Gala-Na stood with a sincere smile.

He scowled at her sight. "What do you want?"

Slowly, she entered the room before stopping just in front of him. "I only want us to be a family again, Silver." Her hand reached out and held him by the chin, forcing him to look her in the eye. "But in order for that to happen, you must be… _purified_."


	7. Haunted Captive

AN: Hey guys, school is about to start for me as a teacher, so updates may be a bit slower. I want to thank, Nebula the Hedgehog, risingzero1984, Rachhect, aliciathewolf45, MissMJS, Captain, Janttun3n, sad little demon, and Destinyxo! Once again, I'm noticing people seem very confused with who some of the characters. I saw a few people asking, "Who is this Gala-Na character?"

So, here is a cheat sheet to help you remember:

• Ivy is possessing Gala-Na's body.

• Mephiles is inhabiting Mighty Armadillo's body.

•~•

A gold, female Tenrec in a white dress ran through a darkened hallway. With her heart racing, she panted as she tried to desperately outrun her enemy. Reluctantly, she looked over her shoulder as she ran down the narrow hall, only to regret what she saw behind her. In close pursuit was Silver the Hedgehog with blood covered around his mouth and chest. His expression was void as he chased after her, looking determined to catch up. "Oh no!" she cried.

Suddenly, she came to a screeching halt as she stopped at a red door. She tried to open it but found the door was locked shut. Seeing that Silver was getting closer, she banged frantically on the door, hoping someone would open it for her to escape. "Please, somebody, help me!" she cried.

Unfortunately, no one came to her aid as Silver finally caught up with her. Terrified, she backed up, but the white hedgehog reached out and grabbed her by the back of the neck drawing her in towards him. She tried to pry herself out of his hold, but his strength was relentless. He angled her so her neck was exposed and opened his mouth, revealing his vampire fangs before sinking them into her neck. Her cry of agony echoed through the halls before everything went black.

•~•

In reality, Silver's eyes shot open after enduring the terrible nightmare. He looked around his surroundings and began to pull at the chains that held him in place. With every pull, the chains did not give heed, continuing to hold him in place and denying him his freedom. He growled in frustration by the chain's strength.

"Have you forgotten where you are?" a familiar voice taunted. Silver looked over to the entryway where he spotted Gala-Na casually sipping some tea. "Save your strength, my chains don't break so easily."

His eyebrows pulled down together as he glared in her direction. "Go away, mother."

She ignored him and took a few steps closer. "Were you having a sweet dream or nightmare?"

He tried to lunge towards her, but the chains prevented him, stopping him just inches in front of her. "Get out of my head!" he barked.

She smiled sweetly, unfazed by his anger. "I'm not in your head, but you were screaming. Go ahead though—get your bearings. We have much to discuss."

"Like what?"

"Who were you dreaming of ripping apart?" she asked curiously. "Was it your little girlfriend, Blaze, or was it someone else?" she spoke almost knowingly. Silver clenched his teeth together and pulled at his chains again; desperately wishing he could kill his mother with her goading words. "Stop fighting, Silver. I brought you here to listen and you're not going anywhere until I've said my piece."

He watched her intently as she took another long sip of her tea. "So speak."

"I want you to rejoin our family, but as a witch this time," she began. "I want you to leave behind the grotesque savageness vampirism has made of you. Take the body of a mortal, and we can all be happy again," she finished.

"You do realize you're entirely demented, don't you?" he droned.

She chuckled at his comment and tone. "Am I?" She walked over to a table and laid her teacup down. "I'm not the one who pulls the wings off every beautiful butterfly that he finds," she noted. "You know, like the female that flits across the edge of your nightmare."

"Release me," he demanded sternly.

She sighed, becoming disappointed in seeing his rage take hold. "How quickly you slip back into your more savage self. The moral son I've raised is now but a mask worn to hide ancient demons."

His eyes looked away in disgust. "You know nothing."

"See, that's where you're wrong," she corrected. "I know more about the secrets you carry than you do. Shall I list them?"

Silver scoffed. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really? I can begin with the first little butterfly you destroyed: the sweet, young, widow from our village who caught your eye when you were still a mortal." She watched as Silver swallowed the lump in his throat and looked away again. "You remember Gold. Of course, how could you forget the first girl to steal your heart?"

"I did nothing but love that girl till the day you took her life," he defended.

She began to pace around him, like a shark waiting to strike its prey. "I know that's what you believe, which is precisely why you're here." She stopped just in front of him again. "I need to show you the monster you really are. When I do, you will beg for salvation and happily, I shall provide it."

"I doubt that," he scoffed.

Gala-Na placed her hand on his forehead, closed her eyes and chanted a spell, allowing her to tap into his memory bank.

~Flashback~

Back in their home village, Silver, now twenty-three, watched as a beautiful gold Tennrec danced around a bonfire with the other villagers. As he watched enchanted, she gracefully bounced and danced to the folk music. But once she realized she had a spectator, she stopped momentarily. Realizing that she had caught onto his long glance, he smiled sheepishly, making her giggle from a far.

" _All females envied her,"_ Gala-Na words reverberated in his mind. _"All males wanted her, but she only had eyes for one."_

Suddenly, Silver watched as Gold wandered over towards his twenty-year-old brother, Shadow. She leaned up and gave him a small peck on the cheek, while she linked arms with him. Shadow didn't seem too interested and even looked a little bothered by her clinginess. It was obvious that she was more into him than he was into her.

Watching the sight made Silver's stomach sink. Why couldn't that be him that she clung to hopelessly wanting affection? Feeling it was unbearable to watch any longer, Silver left the festivities and wandered over to the pigpens to distract himself. Gold and Shadow were arranged to wed, and knowing he'd have no shot felt earth shattering. Silver knelt down by the pen and began to pet one of the pigs.

"Do not tell me you came to save Henry from his fate?" a soft voice said from behind.

Recognizing the voice instantly, Silver stood upright and turned only to see the girl he pined for. Gold smiled up at him making his heart flutter in that moment.

"Uh, no, I-I'm afraid Henry's fate is to be food, sadly. Just as you are fated to love another…"

Her expression softened by his words. "And you? Fated to watch from the shadows, a noble martyr?"

He tilted his head to the side, intrigued by her statement. "What are you saying?"

She blushed lightly. "Fate does not dictate my heart, Silver. I was fated to throw myself on a pyre after my husband died in battle, but I did not. I chose to live and I chose to give my heart once more—to someone strong, protective, fierce, gentle, and yet noble," she listed. It was then that Silver realized how close she was as she reached out and held his face in her hands. He felt a shiver run down his spine by her touch. "I choose you, Silver," she smiled.

"What about my brother? You don't have feelings for him?" Silver probed.

"There's no chemistry between Shadow and I. Ever since the engagement, I've always felt such distance between us. Truthfully, I've always been more interested in you," she blushed.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that," he smiled leaning in to kiss her, but she pulled back and giggled, only confusing him further.

"You chose to have our first kiss where your mother slaughters the pigs?"

He laughed at her observation. "Oh, I guess you're right."

"Not very roman-" He closed the gap between them, silencing her with a kiss. When he pulled back, both of them felt sparks. Gold stared up at him feeling butterflies in her stomach. Silver laughed at her dazed look. "Perhaps we should set Henry free. It seems one's fate can change after all," he said before diving in for another kiss.

~End Flashback~

Silver came back into reality after hearing his mother snap her fingers. He shook his head, reeling from the memories she forced him to relive. "That was just the beginning," Gala-Na smiled. "A brief moment of happiness, that is how it always begins. A butterfly lands upon your finger unaware that it will lead to her tragic end."

"Her ' _tragic end'_ came when you entered the picture," he reminded. "You couldn't bear to see me happy. You wanted to see her with Shadow!"

"Actually, Silver, your memory doesn't serve you well at all. You just don't realize it yet." She reached out and cupped him by the chin, forcing him to look her in the eye. "But by the time we are done here…you will."

•~•

Miles away from home, Coal and Amy walked into a crowded bar together after a lengthy car ride. Inside, TVs blared sports programs while mortal patrons scattered the room and chatted over the loud volume. The older hedgehog held Amy firmly by the upper arm as he navigated her past customers, trying to look inconspicuous. "If you're trying to remain low-key with me as a hostage, gripping my arm this tightly isn't going to help," Amy muttered as he ushered her by his side.

He sucked in a frustrated breath before abruptly stopping and staring her hard in the eyes. "Do not try to correct me, you despicable little flower," he growled lowly through clenched teeth. "The only reason why we're even here is for you to use the facilities while allowing me to take a breather from your incessant questions."

Amy shot him a deadpan expression, refusing to let him intimidate her. "Can you let go of me now?"

He released his grip on her arm, giving her the freedom she craved. She rubbed at the spot where he had been holding tightly. "Now, you have five minutes to go and empty that diminutive bladder of yours. If I don't see you after that, I will personally extract you myself," he warned. "In the meantime, I'll be at the bar getting a drink. If you dare attempt escaping, you best be prepared for a righteous beating."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Chill out, do you think I'm that stupid?"

"Stupid enough to give it a go," he hissed.

"I'd never be able to get far enough before you caught up with me. Just go get your lousy drink, and I'll be in and out of the bathroom in no time," she dismissed before heading inside the restroom.

Coal eyed her for a moment before she was out of sight and headed straight for the bar.

Once inside the bathroom, Amy sat in one of the stalls as she tried to come up with a plan of escape. It was true that there was no point in trying to outrun the hunter since he would always catch her, but she needed to think of something. Her ears twitched as she overheard numerous girls come in and out of the bathroom and go in and out of the stalls around her. At that moment, a thought came to mind. She walked out of her stall and approached a pretty, brown, cougar applying some lipstick in front of the sink.

"Um, excuse me?" Amy beckoned politely. The girl turned to look at Amy, giving her the perfect opportunity. Amy placed a hand on her shoulder, startling the girl, but once they both had eye contact, Amy's eyes dilated. "I want you to give me your cell phone," she compelled calmly.

Without another word, the cougar compliantly stuck her hand into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Amy smiled seeing her compulsion had worked flawlessly. "Thank you, now go," she ordered. The cougar obliged and walked out of the bathroom in a daze.

Now that she was alone, Amy dialed Shadow's number into the phone and put it up to her ear. The dial tone hummed into her ear, as she anxiously waited for her boyfriend to pick up. "C'mon, C'mon…"

After what felt like an eternity, the line picked up, and that smooth, alluring voice she had come to know and love finally answered. "Hello?"

She closed her eyes in relief. "Oh, thank god. Listen, Shadow, I need your help. Your father kidnapped me."

There was a small pause as Shadow processed that on the other end. He hadn't expected to get such a call at this time. "Christ, Rose, where are you right now?"

"Right now we're at-"

CLICK.

Baffled by the lack of sound, Amy looked down at the phone after hearing complete silence. The phone had died. "No, damn it!" She chucked the phone forcing it to break into a million pieces as it hit the wall. Amy looked at her watch, noticing the one-minute she had left before Coal would come in and forcefully yank her out.

Sighing in defeat, Amy retreated out of the bathroom and headed over to the bar where her kidnapper waited. She prayed that now that Shadow knew she'd been kidnapped, he'd somehow be able to catch up and rescue her.

Heading over towards the bar, Amy dejectedly approached Coal just as he finished necking the rest of his alcoholic beverage. She stood behind him with submissive ears. "I'm back…"

The mature hedgehog turned on his stool, looking semi-impressed. "So, you aren't as daft as I thought."

Amy sighed. "Can we just get this over with?"

Coal hopped off his stool, resuming his position. His hand grabbed her upper arm and began to lead her out of the bar. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of green eyes spotted the pair make their retreat from the back of the bar with intrigue. A blue hedgehog leaned out of his booth to get a better look. "…Ames?" he mumbled.

A hand in the booth beside him touched his right shoulder, regaining his focus. "Sonic, what's up?"

Sonic turned to look at the pretty female chipmunk sitting by his side. "I'm not sure yet, Sal," he replied as he slid out of the booth. "But I'll explain on the way." Seeing that he was serious, she grabbed his hand and kept up his pace as he led her out of the restaurant.

•~•

Outside, Coal led Amy to the parking lot where their vehicle was parked. "You won't succeed with this," Amy warned, trying to stall for time.

He chuckled lowly, imagining her expression once he proved her wrong. "You haven't seen me in action yet." But before Amy could say another word, Coal released his hold on her and spun around only to catch a wooden stake inches away from hitting him between the eyes.

Amy gasped in surprise when she spotted the one who had thrown the weapon. Standing at the other end of the parking lot was Sonic along with an unfamiliar female chipmunk. "Suh-Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog looked bold and heroic as he stared at the hunter. Coal, on the other hand, looked quite irritated by the wannabe hero coming to her aid. "What's this now?" he spat as he broke the stake in two with his hand.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but I know you're bad news," Sonic spoke as he slowly made his way towards them. "You let her go or you're dead."

"Good instincts, I must commend," he clapped facetiously. "It's just a shame you're dense enough to give it a go against someone as ancient as I am."

Sonic continued his stride towards the two. "All the better then," he smirked confidently.

Sally hustled over and gripped Sonic's arm, stopping him momentarily as more uncertainty arose staring at their competition. "Babe, I don't know if this is a good idea," she whispered.

Coal shot him a bewildered look. "Listen to the girl, boy. Clearly, you do not fully grasp the rules of Vampirism. The older the vampire, the stronger they are."

Sonic pried his arm out of Sally's grasp and kept walking towards him. "I realize that but I'm not your ordinary vampire," Sonic boasted.

"Sonic, don't!" Sally pleaded.

Coal reached inside his jacket pocket, pulling out a simple wooden dagger he had carved into a fine point. "All the more intriguing then," he grinned as he got into a defensive position. "Let's see what you're made of."

Sonic gestured for him to make the first move and Coal obliged. Coal made a running start for Sonic to strike, but Sonic quickly dodged his oncoming attack and instead came up from behind him and bit him hard in the forearm.

Coal cried out, feeling Sonic's sharp teeth penetrate his flesh. Sonic eventually released his bite and leaped backward landing on his feet and looking satisfied with his attack. Shaking slightly, Coal looked down at his wound, suddenly noticing he wasn't healing like normal. His eyes looked back over to Sonic who now looked quite arrogant and cocky as he rubbed under his nose with his index finger. "You're a hybrid…"

Sonic got back into his fighting stance. "That's right!" he gloated. In the meantime, Amy had been slowly backing away, trying to find her right moment of escape.

Unfortunately, Coal caught onto her attempt and glared back at her, holding his wounded arm. "And where do you think you're heading off to?" Sonic crashed into him while he wasn't looking, sending him flying and smashing into the side of a car, setting off the alarm. The blue blur landed by Amy and gave her a nod of approval. "Ames, get the hell out of here. I'll hold him off for ya."

"—But."

Recovering from the assault, Coal began pushing himself out of the dent he had created. Sonic looked at her anxiously, seeing she was losing her opportunity. "GO!"

Amy zipped out of the parking lot in an instant. Coal watched in fury as his leverage slipped through his fingers. "You fool!"

"Come on, old man. Keep your focus on me!" he goaded. Coal used his own speed and zipped over and initiated a series of hand-to-hand combat. Sonic quickly blocked most of his shots but began to feel the hunter's true strength come into play. Coal punched Sonic a few times in the face, doing an upper cut, and finally snapped his neck.

Sonic's body fell to the floor completely unconscious. "Sonic!" Sally screamed, rushing towards his fallen figure.

Coal glared coldly down at the fallen werewolf. "You're lucky I don't have enough time to end your pathetic existence," he grumbled before zipping off in search for Amy.

•~•

Back at the cemetery, Silver felt his stomach growl loudly. He had no idea how long he had been chained up, but by the sound of his stomach, he knew it must have been awhile. "You're hungry, aren't you?" Gala-Na observed. "What an awful thing, to feed upon the blood of others. For this, I blame myself and your father."

"Finally, you admit to one of your many mistakes."

"We tried to make you children strong, but instead we cursed you all. Remember what happened after Shadow turned on his first full moon?"

"Of course I remember," he sighed. "It happened on the same night that you turned us all into vampires. He killed someone for the first time, triggering his curse."

She nodded. "Yes, but something else happened that next morning…"

~Flashback~

That early morning, Silver found Shadow alone in the woods, sitting on a fallen tree by a horribly dismembered male body. He stared at his brother, nude, bloody and shivering as he sat alone and unhinged from what had happened the night before. Shadow stared at the blood on his hands and chest and turned as Silver approached him with a blanket and new set of clothes. "Brother?" Shadow muttered weakly. Silver draped the blanket around his nude form, allowing Shadow to clutch it around him for warmth. "How many did I-"

"—Six," he answered solemnly. Shadow cupped a hand over his mouth, horrified at his sinful deed. He shuddered, feeling guilty and monstrous at the thought of tearing and mutilating six innocent lives. "You slaughtered six villagers, brother. You tore them apart, as though they were nothing at all," Silver recounted.

Shadow shut his eyes and bowed his head in shame. "What am I?"

Silver helped lift him to his feet as he sympathized with him. "You seem like the wolves at the village, cursed to turn when the moon is full," he remarked. Shadow began to shake at the thought of being like one of _them_. Seeing him so distressed, Silver placed his hands on his shoulders to ease him. "Listen to me, Shadow. Father is beside himself with rage. It seems this affliction can only be passed by a certain kind of, _conception_ ," he worded carefully.

Shadow's ruby eyes met Silver's amber ones. "And do you or Mephiles share this affliction, too?"

Silver shook his head sadly. "No, we do not."

"He is not my father…is he?" Shadow pieced together, referring to Coal.

Instead of answering, Silver embraced him. "You listen to me," he whispered. "This changes nothing. We are here for you as we shall always be," he pledged. Just at that moment, Silver heard a sound and looked to his right, spotting an uninvited guest. Standing behind some trees was none other than Gold herself. She spotted one of the murdered victims on the ground and gasped before running off, realizing she had seen too much.

"Oh, no…" Silver felt his heart race. Shadow watched as Silver darted off. "Gold, Gold, come back!" he called as he chased after her.

~End Flashback~

"I fail to see your point here," Silver critiqued. "I compelled Gold to forget what she saw and she did."

"You'd only been a vampire for a few days," Gala-Na reminded. "You hadn't yet learned or mastered compulsion."

Silver shook his head in disbelief, seeing where she was going with her argument. "No, no, no, I remember that day _clearly_."

"…Do you?" she speculated with a brow raised. "You still thought there were lines you wouldn't cross—people you wouldn't hurt, things you wouldn't do. You were wrong and that is what I'm here to show you. Now, let us continue and watch."

~Continued Flashback~

"Gold, Gold, wait!" Silver called as he chased after her.

Gold continued to run, desperately trying to escape, but as she continued her flee, she failed to see a rock and tripped, sending her hurtling towards the ground. She stuck her hands out to catch her fall but scraped her right hand against some rough terrain.

Because of her stumble, Silver managed to catch up with her. "Gold, let me explain," he panted.

She pushed herself off the ground while she remained guarded. "Stay away from me," she screamed.

Silver put his arms up, showing no harm. "I'm not here to hurt you, Gold."

"What have you become?" she questioned as she trembled.

"I am what I've always been. I'm the one who loves you," he spoke, cautiously taking steps closer.

~End Flashback~

"You knew how special she was! I always thought you would protect her. That she would be your wife, that one day I might call her daughter," Gala-Na berated.

"I didn't hurt her," Silver argued.

She shook her head in pity at his ignorance. "You've taught yourself to hide from who and what you are for a thousand years."

He tugged at his chains again, growing angrier at her allegations. "For the last time, I did not hurt Gold. I could not!"

"But you did!" she shouted.

~Continued Flashback~

Gold stared at her boyfriend in utter fear. "You're a monster, Silver."

"I am not a monst-" he paused when he suddenly got the whiff of something delightful. His eyes lowered to her right hand, where he saw her palm bleeding fresh blood. It was then he could feel his bloodlust, raging within him, begging him to lunge. Silver gulped as he tried to hold back his hunger. "Gold…"

Gold backed away, only making him step closer. She wasn't about to go down without a fight and slapped him hard in the face, making his face snap to the side. "Get away from me!"

Silver staggered back as he bent down, resting his hands on his knees. "I said I wouldn't hurt you. I-I don't want to." He stood upright, feeling he could no longer hold off the ravenous animal that was consuming him. He stared her in the eyes with desperation. "Run," he begged, knowing it would be any moment before he'd lose control.

Gold followed his demands and ran for her life, but it was only a matter of moments before he caught up to her. He grabbed and pinned her to a tree. "No, no!"

He opened his mouth revealing his fangs and dug them into the side of her neck, feeding on her. Gold cried and squirmed as she tried to escape his hold, but slowly began to feel her life slip away.

~End Flashback~

Gala-Na held Silver's face in her hands as she stared him in the eyes. "My poor beautiful boy. She became your prey that day."

Silver jerked away from her hold after reliving the supposed memory. He looked at her with utter disdain. "This was you. You murdered her, not me." He took a step back, not even wanting to look at her for a second longer. "I won't hear any more of this."

Gala-Na cupped her hands together. "You don't have to, son. All you have to do is remember."


	8. Dad's Gonna Kill Me

AN: Like I said during the last update, now that I'm a full-time teacher, updates may not be as frequent. I'm really glad people are enjoying the sequel and are in for the long haul ahead. Thank you, MissMJS, risingzero1984, aliciathewolf45, Nebula the Hedgehog, CrimsonDestroyer, xXJadeTheCatXx, Captain, Janttun3n, and sad little demon for the reviews on the previous chapter. If you're ever confused, just remember to read the previous chapter. I do my best to make sure my stories are not confusing.

•~•

Speeding down a winding road, Shadow desperately tried to get to Amy's location in time. Gripping the steering wheel, Shadow felt anxious and terrified, as horrific thoughts flooded his mind. He knew how brutal his father could be, and imagining the things he could be doing to Amy in that moment made him feel sick to his stomach. Before his thoughts could become too morbid, his cell phone began to ring and he quickly reached for it in his jacket pocket and answered. "Hello?"

"Shadow?" Shadow bit his lip in disappointment. It wasn't Amy like he had hoped.

"I hope this is important, Blaze," he spoke, trying not to sound irritated.

"It is," she answered. "Something happened to Silver."

"Explain," Shadow ordered, continuing to keep his eyes on the road while he listened.

"Well, we got the children out all right, but it turns out it was another trap. Your brother and mother intervened and knocked me out. When I woke up, Silver was gone."

Shadow sighed loudly, as even more fear crept into his mind. "Shit…"

"There's a lot of blood," Blaze continued. "Both vampire and werewolf, but there's a trail. I need you to help track him with your keen sense of smell."

"As much as I'd like to help you track down my brother, I have my own pressing matters at the moment."

Blaze's tone grew slightly bitter at the notion. "What could possibly be more important than your own brother?"

"How about the fact that my lunatic father kidnapped Amy and is now miles away with more than likely depraved thoughts to harm her?" he countered

Blaze felt her heart sink. "Oh my…Shadow, I had no id-"

"—I'm driving right now to her last known location. She called me from a foreign number and I was able to ping her location. I'm going to get her back and then I'm going to end this," he spoke with determination.

"You're doing this on your own without back up?" Blaze gawked.

"Yes, by the end of the night, either my father or I will be dead."

"What about Faith? You just left her all alone?" Blaze questioned.

"No, I got a hold of Caleb and he sent someone over to watch her in my absence," he answered. "Just focus on finding Silver while I hunt down Amy."

Blaze nodded. "Okay, Shadow, just stay safe and bring Amy home. I'll talk to Caleb and see if he can help me out."

"Be careful, Blaze, and find my brother." Once he was done, Shadow hung up, putting his focus back on his mission. He was getting close. He could feel it.

•~•

In the depths of the woods, Amy continued to run for her life. She had been running for what felt like ten minutes and took a breather as she hid inside the hollow of a fallen tree. Amy panted and tried to collect herself. After months of training, she was now using her skills in a real life situation. "You can do this, Amy," she encouraged herself quietly. "Just remember everything Shadow taught you."

CRUNCH.

Amy's keen vampire hearing picked up on a branch cracking in the distance. It was him. In that moment, a memory flashed into her mind. _"Next time, work on controlling your heart beat. That's how I was able to find you. I could hear it racing,"_ she heard Shadow's voice resonate.

" _Controlling my heart beat, that's right!"_ she thought. Amy focused on calming herself and felt her heart beat start to soften. Closing her eyes, Amy let out a quiet exhale as Coal's footsteps approached. Feeling his presence near, she shut her mouth and the footsteps ceased. There was a long pause of what sounded like dead silence, but Amy kept her back pressed up against the bark, praying the hunter would continue onwards. Luckily, her prayers were answered and Coal's footsteps continued on, passing her hiding position.

Amy sighed internally and waited for a few minutes before coming out of her hiding spot. She crawled out of the hollowed out tree and stood upright and dusted herself off. But once seeing no one in sight, she turned around to run in the opposite direction but came face to face with Coal.

Amy gasped, but Coal grabbed her by the throat and roughly forced her up against one of the nearby trees. "You deceiving little wench, you thought you could escape me?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"How, did you find me?" she gasped.

"I followed your tracks," he answered. "It's rare that any prey of mine is ever able to evade me. I am a hunter after all," he boasted proudly.

•~•

Back at the cemetery, Silver screamed in frustration by the flashbacks his mother continued to torment him with. "You're distorting my memories. It was you who killed Gold, admit it!" he bellowed.

Gala-Na stood before him serenely as ever despite his outrage. "No, you brought her to me after your predatory nature was released, but by the time you got her to me, she was already dead."

"You can't rewrite history."

"You're right, I cannot," she concurred. "At least, not until I had your consent."

"Consent?" he repeated mystified. "What are you talking about?"

She reached out and held his face in her hands. "I'll show you," she spoke as she closed her eyes. Suddenly, Silver was whisked away to yet another memory.

~Flashback~

Ivy stood in her tent doing beadwork until the tent flaps opened. Turning away from her work, Silver walked inside looking devastated as he carried a limp and deceased Gold in his arms.

" _I told you that you were a good son and that I'd take care of everything for you,"_ Gala-Na narrated within Silver's mind.

Silver moved Gold's body into his mother's arms and she carried her over to a cot to lay on. _"And then I said to you, 'You will not suffer from this memory_ or be tormented by the guilt of your misdeed. _I created a storage center in your mind. I called it the red door, and what went behind that door would stay there and be forgotten.'"_

~End Flashback~

Silver's eyes watered with the truth revealed. "You're…you're lying," he croaked.

She frowned. "I'm sorry, but I'm not."

He shook his head, still in denial. "No…"

"—How long before it's your beloved girlfriend's corpse behind that door?"

"Stop!" he screamed.

"You must be afraid that loving you will destroy her," she continued. "It destroyed Gold, and many more lovers in your lifetime." Silver shut his eyes tight, trying to block his mother's harsh words. Perhaps she was right, perhaps one day he would accidently hurt or even worse—kill Blaze just like he had done with Gold any many others.

Gala-Na smiled darkly, seeing her manipulation tactics getting through to him. She knelt down before him. "Please, take my offer, so I can help you. In a new body, you'll be alive again and free to live a simple and peaceful life with Blaze. You could even give her a child."

Silver opened his eyes to look at her. "You will not break me," he uttered weakly.

"Aw, you're already broken, my sweet boy, but not beyond repair. I am here to fix you. I am here to fix all of you," she smiled sinisterly.

•~•

After trekking through the forest, Coal pulled Amy into an abandoned cabin, now that they were at their final destination. "I used to try to convince Shadow that there was good in everyone," she remarked. "I never realized how much your hatred ran deep."

He tossed her onto the floor making her grunt from impact. Amy looked back at him as he stared down at her in annoyance. "I didn't always hate him. When Shadow was born, I was overjoyed. I thought he would be worthy, but my hope was short-lived when I found out that he wasn't _really_ my son."

Amy pushed herself up, returning an equally hard glower for the shove. "His mother's infidelity was not his fault!"

"Everything that followed was because of Shadow's obsession with the wolves!" he shouted. "He'd venture out to watch them turn under the full moon and he took my youngest with him. She was just a mere child when she was torn apart limb from limb by those monsters!"

"It was an accident," she argued. "Shadow was young and naïve. He never intended to have anything bad happen to his sister."

"An accident?" he repeated in offense. "He murdered my wife! His own mother, who sought to cleanse him of his beastlike nature," he growled in absolute rage. "He betrayed me by turning my family against me, and yet, you defend him!"

"I constantly beg him not to kill!" she shouted back. "Bloodshed in your family does not have to be an endless cycle! And after centuries on this Earth, do you really not see that all your violence is pointless?"

Coal's eyes fell to the bite wound that Sonic had inflicted him with hours ago that was still not healed in the slightest. He placed a hand to his forehead feeling the fever hit him hard. He closed his eyes and exhaled. "You know, my wound does not appear to be healing…" He opened his eyes staring in her direction. "What I could do with right now is some food," he alluded.

Amy began to back away, realizing he was eying her with a meal in mind. "Wait a second, I'm not a mortal, I'm a vampire, remember?"

He walked towards her. "Yes, I know, and surprisingly enough, vampires are my favorite to feed on," he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder bringing her face-to-face with him. "Time to eat." Amy cried out in agony as his fangs dug underneath her flesh, savoring her blood.

•~•

After a long search, Shadow followed some footsteps and stumbled across a small cabin tucked away in the depths of the woods. He took in a deep inhale, catching Amy's scent almost immediately. Realizing that she was close, Shadow looked around for anything he could use as a weapon. He knelt down and grabbed a large piece of wood and snapped it in half, causing it to protrude a jagged point.

Now armed, Shadow made his way towards the cabin and cautiously walked inside. At the other end of the room, Coal stood holding Amy's limp body in one arm, while he wielded the white oak stake in the other. Shadow's eyes fell to Amy's neck, where a blood flooded down her neck. He growled at the sight. "You're going to pay for hurting her," Shadow pointed, holding his makeshift weapon.

Coal chuckled darkly. "Are you now?" he smirked and released his hold on Amy, allowing her unconscious body to collapse on the floor by his feet.

"Leave her out of this," Shadow demanded.

"Oh, how sweet, the cur whines for its bitch," he said in feigned sympathy. He took a step over her fallen body, keeping his eyes locked on his son. "I'll make sure to drain the rest of her right in front of your eyes just before you burn."

Shadow opened his mouth to make a remark until his eyes spotted something interesting. There was a very familiar looking bite mark on Coal's arm that looked rather ghastly. He smirked knowingly. "You've been bitten…"

"Yes, I ran into another nuisance like yourself," he seethed.

"Nuisance," Shadow thought to himself. The only other hybrid around was Sonic. Did that mean Sonic had tried to stop him? Wherever he was now, he had to thank him for helping. "You may not die from that bite being an Original like myself, but you'll be severely weakened in the least, giving me a great advantage."

"This bite won't stop me from giving my all. After all, I've traveled all the way back from hell to kill you."

Shadow's eyes hardened. "Well, then, I'd hate to keep you waiting," he goaded. Coal growled and began running towards Shadow with his weapon at the ready.

Shadow made a running start and leaped into the air with his wooden stake. Coal wasn't able to get out of the way in time, just as Shadow came down knocking him to the floor. The white oak stake flew out of Coal's hand, rolling away from their reach. Shadow swiftly stabbed the jagged wooden staff into Coal's stomach, making him cry out. "GAHH!"

Seeing this as his opportunity, Shadow scurried to his feet to get ahold of the white oak stake, but lost his footing when Coal grabbed ahold of his ankle. Still lying on his back with a stick protruding from his gut, Coal ripped out the stick with one hand, while using his other to hold onto Shadow.

Shadow growled and kicked Coal in the face, freeing himself of his hold. Using his vampire agility, Shadow crawled over and grabbed the white oak stake, just as another hand came into view grabbing it at the same time. The two struggled for possession, as they rolled around. Eventually, Coal overtook Shadow and with his speed, pinned him to the floor.

Shadow used all his strength as he held one hand against Coal's chest while his other hand desperately struggled to keep Coal from plunging the stake into his heart. "Not as strong with that werewolf poison pumping through your veins," Shadow smirked.

Growling out of frustration, Shadow seemed to have him matched in strength. His eyes fell to Shadow's neck as an idea came to mind. "Perhaps I need to remedy that." He opened his mouth and bit into his neck, making Shadow scream. The tip of the stake hovered just mere inches away from Shadow's chest, but luckily, Shadow overtook him, kneeing his father in the gut, and launching him off his body.

Nearby, Amy began to stir and come back to consciousness. Still fairly weak, she sat upright, hoping to aid Shadow with his battle. "Shadow…"

At the other end of the room, Shadow rubbed at his neck, slightly sore from the bite, but was more pissed that he allowed Coal get the cure from him then anything. Shadow gripped the white oak stake tightly in his hand, pleased that he was reunited with the lethal weapon.

In the corner, Coal wiped the blood smeared around his lips with the back of his hand. He looked at his wound seeing it heal. "Finally…at least you're good for something." Quickly, he rummaged his hand into his pocket and violently threw a small-carved stake that whizzed in the air towards another target.

Shadow caught onto his strategy in time and managed to race over and stop the stake in mid air, catching it before it stabbed right into Amy's chest. Amy gasped in surprise as Shadow stood before her holding the stake, but suddenly, Coal appeared behind him, grabbed, and then manipulated Shadow's hand into stabbing himself in the chest with the white oak stake. Shadow cried out as he felt it crack through his chest. "Ahh!"

Amy's eyes widened as everything went in slow motion. "No!" Amy rushed to pull it out, but Coal backhanded her hard in the face, causing Amy to go hurtling into the wall from the powerful strike.

Coal turned his attention back on Shadow as he watched Shadow's body begin to slowly decay before him. "Now we wait for his body to engulf in flames, it'll be glorious!"

Just as things were looking up for the hunter, three arrows whizzed through the air and hit Coal in the left shoulder, chest, and upper right leg. "Nngh!"

Amy pushed herself up just to see it was none other than her ex-boyfriend and Sally wielding a bow an arrow. Sally kept her bow upright as she readied another arrow. "Go Sonic!" she urged.

Just as Coal was in the process of recovering from the attack, Sonic collided into him, sending them both hurtling through a wall. Sally lowered her bow seeing that Sonic was keeping Coal busy. She rushed over to Amy's side. "Now is the time to get that thing out of your boyfriend," she advised.

Agreeing, Amy hurried over to Shadow as his body continued to decay. There was only a matter of seconds before his entire body would turn gray and combust into flames. Gripping the magical stake in her hands, she used all her might and pried it out of his chest in the knick of time. Seeing him still unconscious, Amy patted the side of his face anxiously as his skin remained gray. "Shadow, Shadow, wake up," she begged quietly.

Sonic came flying back through the wall and rolled past Amy and Shadow before coming to a halt. Scratched up and bloody, Sonic tried to push himself up but succumbed to just lying still. Sally lifted him slightly in her arms. "Sonic, are you okay?"

"Fine, Sal…but any time Shads wants to wake up, that'd be great," he mustered weakly with a chuckle.

"—What the hell do you think you're doing?" Coal shouted, coming through the hole in the wall, completely healed and now in full strength.

Remaining by Shadow's side, Amy held out the white oak stake towards her foe as she knelt before the three. "Stay the hell away from us! I swear to God, I'll kill you myself."

The hunter continued to approach her shaking form. "You have the heart of a warrior," he noted. "Perhaps I'll keep it as a souvenir once this is all done." He reached for her, but Shadow woke up just in time and sprung to his feet. He swung a punch, hitting Coal hard in the jaw.

Coal staggered back as Shadow continued his assault, hitting him several more times, disabling Coal from getting his bearings. Shadow went to punch him once more, but Coal caught his fist and violently broke Shadow's arm making him howl in pain. "AUGH!"

Still holding onto the white oak stake, Amy watched as Coal slammed Shadow onto the floor, only inflicting more pain. "Shadow!"

Coal continued his torment by kicking him a few times in the gut. Shadow coughed up blood with every kick and Coal couldn't help but laugh as he watched his son suffer before him. "This is what I've been dreaming of doing since my revival. Just wait till I get you chained up so I can torture your whore in front of you and-"

CRACK!

Keeping one eye shut, Shadow looked up only to see the white oak stake peaking out of Coal's chest. His father stood there, in shock and nearly immobile from the immense pain, but turned his head slightly to see his attacker, only to realize it was Amy holding onto the magical weapon. "You hurt my boyfriend enough in his life, so go back to hell you monster!" With that, she shoved the weapon in deeper and Coal collapsed on his side onto the floor. Amy quickly rushed to Shadow side, just as Coal's body went gray as it decayed. In a matter of moments, his entire body burst into flames ending him for good.

•~•

A few minutes later, Shadow and Amy stood outside the cabin and looked each other over for injuries. Amy stared at the blood stained tear in Shadow's shirt where the white oak stake had been stabbed. Reaching out, she rested her hand on top of his now healed injury and in return, Shadow rested his own hand over hers and smiled down at her. "You pulled the stake out in the knick of time. A moment longer and I would have been done for."

Even though he was alive and well, the event was still too close to home to celebrate. Her ears lowered sadly. "You almost died today for me…"

Shadow caressed the side of her face softly. "Yes, but you saved my life and you put my father down. Remember when you said you couldn't kill?"

She nodded before leaning forward, embracing him, and burying her face into his chest. "I thought I was going to lose you."

Shadow wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. "I'm proud of you, Rose. I told you, you could do it."

Suddenly, Sonic and Sally came meandering from around the building but stopped a few feet away from the two. Shadow caught sight of him and pulled away from his embrace from Amy. "Thank you for lending a hand back there, Sonic. I truly appreciate all your help."

Sonic shoved his hands into his jean pockets coolly. "Heh, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"So, who is this?" Amy noted, looking towards the unfamiliar female.

"Oh," he smiled sheepishly. "This is Sally—my girlfriend," he introduced. "Sal, this is Shadow and Amy."

Sally smiled towards the two and shook their hands. "Nice to meet you two, Sonic has told me all about you."

Amy had to admit, Sally was an absolute stunner. She had gorgeous amber hair, an envious figure, and beautiful blue eyes. It was no wonder Sonic had been drawn to her. "Lovely to meet you, too. You guys should swing by sometime and see Faith. She's growing up so quickly," Amy suggested.

"Really?" Sonic returned a genuine smile, looking between the two. "I'd like that."

Shadow wrapped an arm around Amy. "Yes, definitely. I would never have expected to have your help today, so I owe you," he bowed respectively.

"Nah, man, it's all good," Sonic smiled sheepishly, still a bit wary around the hybrid.

"No, you don't understand. We haven't been on the same side in quite some time. You went out of your way to try to help Amy despite our past differences. I would like to keep our communication open from now on."

Sonic looked surprised by how sincere the dark hedgehog was being. Especially since it seemed oddly out of character for Shadow. Perhaps, Shadow had done some growing as well in the past months. "Well, in that case…I guess I'll keep that promise in mind."

Shadow reached out and gave Sonic a firm handshake. "If you ever need anything, give me a call."

"Will do."

•~•

With so much time that had passed, Silver wasn't sure how much more he could take. His stomach was practically clawing at itself from the inside out, and because he hadn't eaten for so long, his energy was dropping dramatically. "Please," Silver begged. "No more…"

"I'm afraid we've only just begun," Gala-Na, chuckled as she circled around his weak form. "You will hang here remembering every atrocity you've hidden behind that door and it will emerge to haunt you. And as you grow weaker, you will be ripped of your strength—your will, your hope, and as you rot here alone, you will reconsider my offer." Silver watched weakly, as his mother stopped feet in front of him. "Now, I'll ask again, don't you want to be freed of your demons?"

He closed his eyes and gulped. "I…"

WHACK!

Alerted by the sound, Silver opened his eyes and shot his head upright, only to see Blaze standing above Gala-Na's fallen body with a large stick in hand. Seeing that she had knocked out the ancient witch, Blaze lowered her weapon. "I would have killed her, but then she just would have body jumped," she said smiling in his direction.

Silver gave out a huge sigh of relief and smiled in her direction. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Blaze chucked the stick to the side and walked over to free him. Carefully, she placed her hands on one of the chains binding his wrists. He watched intently as she closed her eyes and mumbled something, allowing her to break the spell. "I wouldn't rest until I found you." She finished unchaining his last wrist and gasped as he collapsed to the floor. "Silver!"

"I'm okay," he mumbled. "Just famished."

She shook her head, knelt down, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You need to feed then!"

He kept his eyes on the floor beneath him. "I can't."

"—But you're weak!" She took out a switchblade from her pocket and cut a small line along her palm to draw blood. "Here," she offered, sticking out her hand towards his face.

He turned his head in response, horrified at the thought of losing control from his starvation. "I-I can't."

She shot him a befuddled look. "Don't be ludicrous, why not?"

His head swung back to look her in the eye. "Because I crave you," he spoke lustfully. "My hunger could overwhelm me and I don't want to hurt you."

Empathizing with his fears, Blaze reached out with her other hand, and stroked his face, lovingly. "Look at me, Silver." Silver looked into her eyes as she stared back at him sincerely. "I'm not afraid of you." She leaned in and closed the gap between them, kissing him passionately. Silver returned the kind gesture, wrapping one arm around her waist, while he deepened the kiss. After a couple of moments, they pulled apart and Blaze noticed the hunger in his eyes. She tilted her neck to the side, enticing him for a bite. Silver didn't give it a second thought before he dove in for a taste. Blaze gasped subtle moans of euphoria as he fed on her, enjoying the feast she offered.

Unfortunately for Silver, that entire moment was not what it had seemed. It had all just been a hopeful fantasy illusion that Gala-Na had conducted. Instead, in reality, Mighty stood before Silver's catatonic body, still hung up by the chains. Blaze had not really come to save him, but she had in Silver's mind. The armadillo waved a hand inches away from Silver's face, trying to get a response, but Silver's glazed over eyes just stared off into space, oblivious to everyone or anything around him. Mighty turned and looked over his shoulder at Gala-Na smirking contently in the background by her handiwork. "What did you do to him?"

"I decided to let him dream," she answered simply before taking a seat.

"That's considerate of you, I suppose," Mighty replied.

"I cannot lead him out of darkness by simply exposing him to the horrors of his past. I have to let him bask in his own version of a better world to come." Her eyes looked back over to Silver, as his mouth-hung agape. "By the time he wakes, he will know that the only way to find peace, is by my way."


	9. The Offer

AN: Hey guys, I hope you enjoy the update. I am located in South Florida so this might be the last update for awhile because of Hurricane Irma, especially when power goes out. It might be weeks before I get electricity again, so that sucks. Anyway, peace!

•~•

The next day, Gala-Na sauntered back into the mausoleum and looked at her son still hunched over with his eyes closed. "Still sleeping, I see," she spoke as she approached him. Gala-Na reached out and cupped his chin, lifting his head to get a look at him. Surprisingly and annoyingly enough, Silver looked quite peaceful in his current state. "You still look strong—so full of life, too willful to take my offer," she said with displeasure. She walked back down the steps and over to a table where an assortment of dark objects was laid out. As her eyes scanned her options, she reached for a sharp knife and clutched it in her hand, before looking over her shoulder at Silver's slumped figure.

"I remember you as a child, so kind and innocent." She walked back towards him with the knife in hand. "If that boy had known the creature he would one day grow up to be, he'd have leaped into my arms and begged me to save him." Gala-Na took her position behind him and reached down, caressing the back of his neck. "I'd do anything for that little boy." With her final words, she grabbed Silver by the quills and yanked his head upright to expose his neck. With her other hand, she used the knife and carved a symbol into the side of his neck.

•~•

Meanwhile that morning back at Shadow's estate, Amy finished putting a fresh diaper on Faith. While Amy finished redressing her, her keen hearing picked up on a male scream from down the hall. Becoming alarmed, Amy picked up Faith and placed her in her crib before going to investigate. As she wandered into Shadow's study, she found Shadow stood by a bowl of water, washing his bloodied hands. Amy frowned by his appearance—his face and clothing were splattered with blood. "I see your interrogation went well," she said with disapproval.

Shadow didn't bother to look at her after hearing her objective tone. "It turns out these witches are delicate creatures," he retorted with a shrug. "No matter."

Amy crossed her arms over her chest, still not on board with his methods. "Is this _really_ necessary?"

"—Yes," another voice answered. Amy turned and spotted Blaze come out from around a sectioned off part of the study that had been draped off. It was clear that was where Shadow was holding his hostage to pry information out of them, but she hadn't realized Blaze was a part of the interrogation too. "I've been searching for Silver for almost 48 hours now and I still haven't been able to connect to him. I'm desperate."

Amy empathized with the cat but then frowned. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now, Blaze, but I just don't know if torturing someone is the right answer to solving our problems."

"You're right, you _can't_ imagine," she snapped, making Amy cringe in response. "Shadow was able to find you," she gestured, "But Silver could be dead for all I know!"

Seeing how distraught and tense the situation was getting, Shadow walked over to the feline and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Blaze, we'll find him, I promise," he assured.

Feeling overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions, Blaze finally broke down and hid her face in her hands, sobbing. Looking crestfallen by her response, Shadow embraced her as she cried trying his best to console her. Amy came over timidly, feeling heartbroken by Blaze's current state. "Blaze, I'm so sorry if I upset you. I want to find Silver just as badly as you do, trust me."

Blaze pulled her hands away from her face, wiping away her teary eyes. "No, I realize that. I'm sorry I snapped at you. It wasn't right, but I just feel so frustrated with not being able to find him."

"You have barely gotten a wink of sleep in hours, why don't you stay home and get some rest," Shadow recommended. "With what I got out of that witch, I think I know where he is," he smiled confidently.

"I-I shouldn't, Silver is depending on me. He wouldn't be sleeping if it was me out there," the distraught feline countered.

"Blaze, I promise you. I will find and bring Silver back in one piece. Now, get some rest. You're in no condition to go back out there and look for him."

"He's right," Amy seconded.

Blaze sighed in defeat. "Very well."

Shadow left the room, but Amy quickly followed after him, wanting to speak to him on an important matter. "Shadow," she called.

He stopped in his tracks in the hallway and watched as she caught up to him. "What is it?"

"We never really talked much about what happened last night, but there's something you need to know about Faith…"

He raised a brow. "Such as?"

"Well, before your father kidnapped me, he mentioned that Faith tried to use some sort of magic against him," Amy explained. Just by looking at Shadow's expression, she could already tell he was a bit skeptic by her words. She groaned by his facial features. "I know it sounds crazy, Shadow, but he's not the first one to tell me that Faith is special."

"Faith is a quarter witch but she's just an infant. There's no way she'd be able to perform magic at this age," Shadow dismissed.

"Even your mother told me that Faith is incredibly gifted!" she countered.

"Have you seen her do anything special in particular?" he challenged with a playful grin.

She stumbled for a counter-argument, only growing more flustered. "Well, no, but…I have no reason to believe your father was lying to me."

Shadow chuckled lowly. "No need to get defensive, love. You know I enjoy messing with you, after all, you are infectiously attractive when you get rattled."

Her ears perked up with hope. "So, you believe me then?"

"I have no doubt that Faith is gifted. Remember, she is begat from me," he humble-bragged.

Amy punched him in the arm for his immature response and made him grunt. "Ouch! What was that for?" he grumbled.

"You are such a pain in the ass sometimes," she huffed, placing her hands on her hips, "And so arrogant!"

He rubbed his sore arm. "Isn't that why you fell for me in the first place?" he teased with a smirk. "Females love a guy that exudes confidence."

She turned on her heel and walked back towards Faith's bedroom. "Oh, shut up and get out of here." Shadow chuckled at her retreating form; he absolutely loved the banter they shared.

•~•

Later that day, Shadow visited an old manor that had been badly burned and damaged from a fire a few miles away from home. The house was decrepit, but the witch he had tortured had told him he would find answers here. Shadow walked around the outside of the home, looking for clues, but stopped when he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up warning him of danger. "Shadow," a feminine voice called.

He shook his head slowly before fully turning around after hearing the familiar voice. Standing on the front porch of the manor was Gala-Na herself. His expression hardened as he stared at his mother. "Where is Silver?"

"He's preoccupied at the moment," she answered simply. "I'm helping him find his way, but you don't need to be concerned, I intend to return him to you once I'm finished."

Shadow made his way towards her. "And when exactly will that be?"

"All I ask is for you to hear me out and I promise I'll return him," she replied.

"You expect me to sit through a sermon of your lies?" he scoffed.

"I have lied in the past, to my shame, but I'm going to tell you the truth. I'm in the process of making Silver into the person he was meant to be," she started. "And I intend to do the same for you," she smiled before turning around and heading inside the home. Shadow followed after her, watching her intently as she ambled through the ruined rooms with no urgency. He made sure to keep a cautious distance as he listened. "This home was ruined by fire many years ago. It's sad yet symbolic."

"You've lost me on your point," he droned, already finding himself growing bored.

"What I'm saying is, you never intended to build a true home here in this city. Even as Amy carried your child, or when Silver sought to defend you, your thoughts were only focused on your conquest of claiming this city as your own," she pointed.

He huffed in annoyance. "You're talking out of your ass. Yes, my main focus may have been to take back the city that was once mine, but all of that changed when I learned that I had a child on the way. My main priority quickly shifted to surrounding myself with strong allies to hold in place for situations just like they have presented themselves. Amy and Faith are the apples of my eye and I will do whatever it takes to fortify their safety from people like you," he spat with malice.

"Yet, you've endured several lifetimes of misery, never mind the suffering you've caused others, even to your own blood," she countered in reminisce. "Anyway, I have come to offer you a means to escape the cycle that will ultimately repeat itself."

Shadow walked up, stopping inches away from her face, intimidatingly. "I suggest you give me my brother back before I get too angry, mother," he seethed.

Gala-Na did not even flinch as she stared back into his cardinal eyes. She shook her head in disappointment and turned away. "Such hatred in your eyes. It breaks my heart to see you like this—the boy I loved-"

"—Your love was a curse, an effect you feigned," Shadow cut off. "The truth is you're no better than Coal," he growled before turning his back on her. "And like him, you seem to have crawled back from the grave simply to ruin your own children."

"Coal is back?" she repeated in befuddlement, causing Shadow to grow intrigued. Slowly, he turned around looking delighted to inform her on what she had been ignorant to. "Oh, you didn't realize? Yes, the destroyer had risen, brought back to kill me by your beloved first born son Mephiles."

Gala-Na looked anxious by the reveal. "I-I didn't realize-"

"Surely, Mephiles has revealed everything to you. He is your favorite after all," he mentioned quite passive aggressively. Gala-Na remained silent, pondering over the thought, only making Shadow smirk and chuckle. "By the look on your face, it seems like Mother's loyal bootlicker is not quite so loyal after all," he tsked.

Gala-Na's expression grew serious. "Please, if Coal has returned then we need to-"

"—We?" Shadow repeated in amusement. "Hold on second, _we,_ don't need to do anything because he's already been taken care of," he stated proudly.

"So, he's dead?" she questioned.

Shadow nodded. "Yes, he was put down once again. It's like I was alluding to, I don't need your help. I've learned how to take care of things on my own accord."

"Please Shadow, I don't want to fight with you. If you join me now, I can give you peace, and if Coal is ever to return, I will strike him down myself," she spoke with determination.

Shadow approached her again, but leaned in close, hovering his mouth just a few inches away from her right ear. "That's quite an offer, but you know, I've never needed any help when it comes to killing my parents," he said in a hushed whisper, making her shudder slightly. Shadow did seem to take thrill in the idea of killing his parents and seeing that sickened her.

The two walked outside to continue their talk, but Gala-Na stopped by a small stream behind the abandoned house and watched the water take its course. Shadow took his position and stood by her side as he looked at their reflection in the water. "A thousand years ago in a fit of rage, you wrapped your bare hands around my throat and squeezed until I no longer breathed," Gala-Na reminded.  
"Do you even remember why?"

Shadow tapped his chin in feigned thought as he tried to recall the time. "Let's see," he began. "You turned us all into monsters, cursed me, and lied about my father," he listed as he paced around her.

She kept her eyes on him. "Actually, you killed me because I kept you from ever knowing your true father," she corrected.

He shrugged. "My hatred for you runs so deep that it's difficult to pinpoint its origin." He continued to pace behind her until he came to another conclusion. "Maybe I hate that I am the product of a whore's lechery," he opined.

Furrowing her brows by his answer, Gala-Na viciously slapped Shadow across the face out of disgust. "Watch your mouth! You would do well to remember that you are still my son," she scolded.

Shadow rubbed the sore spot on his cheek. "You judge me evil, yet it was your lust that made me what I am," he evoked.

"Not once have I ever regretted the love I had for your real father," she defended.

"Then why didn't you allow my real father to raise me among the wolves?" he countered.

"Because if Coal had ever found out about my infidelity he would have killed us both and I couldn't allow that," she defended. "When I learned I was with child, I went back to Coal after we had grown apart. I told him I was with child a few months later after we had made love and he showed no joy, but neither did he suspect the truth."

Shadow stared at her skeptically. "I don't understand how that could do any good."

"Well it did. When you were born, it renewed his faith. Because of you, we were a family again," she smiled.

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest. "A family built on secrets and lies…"

"Well, you were my secret joy and to protect your secret, I denied you a life with your father. I know you think you can never forgive me, but what if I could cure you of this sickness that's infected your soul. I put Mephiles into the body of a witch, what if I gave you what you destined for as a child? I could place you into the body of a werewolf where you can live out your days as what you were always meant to be."

He raised a questionable brow. "What could possibly make you think I would agree to such a thing? I am one of the strongest supernatural beings on this planet. People grow fear in their hearts just by the mention of my name."

"Power does not mean everything," she argued. "With mortality, you could start over. You could have more children with Amy, with happiness, peace, all the things you've been denied—a clean slate!"

"Enough!" he barked. "Tell me where Silver is or I will kill you," he growled.

Gala-Na stuck her hand out putting Shadow in a freeze hold. "I had hoped there was some part of you that yearned for good, but I think I need to put you in a time out." She clenched her fist and in an instant, Shadow's neck snapped, killing him temporarily. Shadow's body was released and he fell to the floor, unconscious for the time being.

•~•

Hearing the oven ding, Amy put on a pair of oven mitts and bent down pulling out a hot casserole. Admiring her cooking skills, Amy placed the dish on some hot pads on the counter, just when she heard someone making their way downstairs. Coming down the staircase, Blaze yawned tiredly, now in her PJ's, and made her way towards the kitchen. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," Amy smiled in her direction. "Get any sleep?"

Blaze nodded as she pulled out a seat at the kitchen table. "Yes, I think I got about five hours or so." Her eyes wandered over to the piping hot dish on the counter. "Oh, what did you make?"

"Oh this?" Amy gestured. "I made my classic chicken noodle casserole. I figured you might be a bit hungry when you woke up."

Blaze shook her head solemnly. "Thanks, Amy, I appreciate the kind gesture, but I'm not very hungry at the moment. Any chance you've heard any updates from Shadow, though?"

Amy's ears fell at the question. "Uh, no, I'm sorry. I haven't heard anything, but I'm sure he'll be back by tonight!" she said, trying to sound optimistic.

Blaze rested her head in the palm of her hand. "So, this is off topic, but Shadow told me that when he rescued you from Coal, he had help from Sonic. What was that like?"

Amy took off her oven mitts placing them on the counter by the sink. "I'm not going to lie, it was an odd feeling. I still miss Jax dearly, so seeing him brought up old wounds, but at the same time, I saw a completely different hedgehog. Sonic has changed and he's changed himself for the better."

"Perhaps his journey of redemption has paid off then. It's been what, three months since you last saw him?"

Amy nodded. "Yes, I never would have thought I'd see him coming to my aid anytime soon. I mean, this time last year he had kidnapped me, remember?"

"That's right," Blaze reminisced. "So, do you think you'll see him again?"

"Shadow made it very clear that he'd like to keep the door open to seeing each other. I have this feeling that I'm going to be seeing a lot more of him, but I'm not mad about it," she smiled.

•~•

Back at the abandoned house, Shadow began to stir. Opening his eyes, he looked around, realizing the afternoon had come and gone and night had fallen. He sat upright looking to his left where he spotted his mother standing and looking at him. "You woke up slower than I expected." She shrugged. "No matter, it is time anyway."

Shadow stood upright. "Time for what?"

"You said you wanted Silver back. Well, he's chained up to the wall of a tomb in the cemetery. I've lifted the spell that cloaks him and you are free to take him home now."

Shadow dusted off the dirt on his sleeves. "That seemed easy enough. What did you do to him? I feel a catch coming."

"His own mind will work out his choice for him. When he wakes up, he'll make his own decision," she replied.

Shadow glared at her with scrutiny. "I feel you have another trick up your sleeve."

"Every single thing I've said to you tonight is the truth, Shadow. Whether you choose to believe it, is up to you."

Shadow said no words and instead zipped off with his vampire agility to locate his brother.

•~•

After searching all over, Shadow finally stumbled across the mausoleum holding his brother captive. As Shadow entered the tomb, he looked horrified when he saw the state Silver was in. His clothes were bloody, his quills were frazzled, and he looked weak from being deprived from feeding. Shadow rushed over, broke the chains keeping him restrained, and Silver's body immediately buckled into his arms. Shadow held his sleeping brother close. "Wake up, brother," he begged. "Silver?"

"—He won't wake," Gala-Na spoke from the entrance. "At least not yet." Shadow turned his head to the entrance and watched as his mother walked inside. "This gives you one last chance to discuss my offer," she reminded.

Groaning in irritation, Shadow lowered Silver onto the floor on his back. "You promised me Silver's safe return."

"And I did. Please, this is your last chance for salvation," she begged. "Reject me now and you will live out your endless days miserable and alone."

"I refuse to accept your offer," he replied.

"Why?" she asked, coming closer. "Why after everything I've explained to you?"

Shadow bared his teeth and used his speed to force her against one of the walls. She gasped as she was held by the throat and stared back at Shadow's eyes, burning with hatred. "Because you came for my child!" he bellowed. "My daughter! Your own blood," he leered.

"—You, you don't understand," she gasped.

"My child!" he growled loudly, trying to put on emphasis.

Her eyes grew wide. "Shadow, we had to. The coven-"

His face inched closer to hers as he continued to hold her by the throat. "You declared war when you came after my family, and for that, I will make you suffer as only I can." His expression turned dark as a sinister smirk crossed his muzzle. "After all, I am my mother's son." He released his hold and tossed her to the side, before resuming and picking up Silver's body. Gala-Na watched as Shadow walked out carrying Silver and leaving in a blink of the eye.

•~•

Back at home, Blaze and Amy sat on the couch drinking tea as they eagerly waited for Shadow's return. Amy took a sip of her tea before glancing over to the other side of the couch. Blaze was huddled up into a curled ball as she leaned on the armrest staring off into space. "Blaze, you haven't touched your tea…"

Blaze kept her eyes focused on the wooden floor beneath her as she remained in her position. "I'm not very hungry at the moment, not even thirsty if I'm honest."

"Well, you need to eat something," she advised softly.

"I'm too worried to eat," she spoke as she closed her eyes. "I just want Silver back."

As if on cue, the front doors opened and Shadow walked inside carrying Silver's unconscious body in his arms. Amy and Blaze rose from their seats with widened eyes at the sight. "Silver!" Blaze exclaimed as she rushed over. Shadow held onto his brother tightly as Blaze ran over to examine him.

As Amy watched from the living room entrance, she was happy to see Blaze reunited with her fiancé, but she couldn't help but feel concerned by Silver's state. "Why isn't he awake?" she asked.

Shadow looked in her direction. "My mother put some sort of spell over him. He won't wake up until he's made some sort of decision apparently," he explained.

Blaze ran her hand through his quills gingerly as determination set in. "I'll find a way to crack the spell. In the meantime, let's get him upstairs to his bedroom and change him out of these dirty clothes."


	10. Save my Soul

AN: Hey guys, I'm back! I lost power for about 7 days after Hurricane Irma, but I along with my family are fine. Sorry, I took so long to update, work has been quite hectic. Also, today is my birthday, so I'd thought I'd celebrate by giving you a new chapter to read!

•~•

In a darkened and haunting looking forest, a young thirteen-year-old version of Silver wandered the maze-like woods, desperately trying to seek out his family. With a heavy fog enveloping the lower parts of the forest grounds, it made it very difficult for the young teen to navigate the woods. It was becoming very disorienting for the young hedgehog. "Shadow?" he called. "Shadow?" Silver stopped momentarily as he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up.

"—There you are," an older male voice said from behind

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Silver spun around only to see an older version of himself with blood splattered around his muzzle, standing under some trees. He appeared quite nefarious as his amber eyes glowered back at him.

The teenage Silver froze in place, terrified by the sight of him. Slowly and with a stoic expression, the older version sauntered towards him before stopping a foot away. "Are you afraid?"

The teen version of himself gulped nervously. "I-I don't understand…You look just like me. Who are you?"

"I am the darker version of yourself," he answered while he took another step closer, making the younger Silver take a step back. "One day, only the monster shall remain."

•~•

Meanwhile, in reality, Silver lied in bed twitching and grumbling as he battled with the ongoing nightmare occurring in his mind. Shadow stood by his brother's bedside, watching as his brother trembled under the bed sheets. Blaze stood on the other side of the bed with a hand over her mouth as she stared down at her fiancé, feeling helpless by the sight.

Shadow sighed and knelt down to his level as Silver continued to tremble. "I know you are locked in battle, brother. However deep in your mind, our mother has set the stage, please hear my voice," Shadow pleaded. "Our mother thinks she will win because she has left you alone, but you are not alone."

"Is there anything else you can do?" Blaze questioned as she watched on sadly.

Shadow looked back down at his brother before an idea came to mind. "Just one."

"Please, try then," she begged.

Shadow placed his right hand on Silver's forehead and closed his own eyes and focused his energy to compel him. "Let me in, brother," he commanded, trying to infiltrate his brother's mind. As hard as he tried, Shadow was unable to break through but did not relent his efforts. "Let me help end whatever torment she has forced upon you."

Out of nowhere, Shadow was forced back by an unseen force, making him collide with the wall. Blaze gasped from the sudden jolt. "Oh my goodness, what happened?" She frantically walked around the side of the bed. "Are you okay?"

Shadow got to his feet. "I'm fine," he panted, after feeling the velocity. "I thought I'd be able to enter Silver's thoughts to wake him up, but as it turns out, my mother locked me out."

"Damn it…" Blaze bent over her lover and gently caressed the side of his face. "Silver, please, come back to us…" Then, out of the corner of her eye, Blaze noticed something suspicious on Silver's neck. She moved some clothing fabric away, only to find a scab that resembled a flower. "Is this the mark your mother put on him to keep him in this endless slumber?"

Shadow took a closer examination after not having seen it. "I haven't seen this since I was a child…"

"What is it exactly?"

"When Coal would return home from battle more blindly temperamental than usual, our mother would use the petals of a rare orchid to put him to sleep. It usually gave us a bit of relief from his barbaric tangents. But in order to get him to wake up, she'd take the roots of the same plant and make it into an ointment and apply it to the wound."

"Which means if she has access to it now, then maybe it also grows nearby," Blaze speculated with optimism.

"I'll try to track it down," Shadow volunteered. "Only problem is, I don't know the recipe for the ointment…"

"You find the flower for me and I'll do some research on how to make it," Blaze avowed.

"I'll get going then," Shadow replied as he began to make his exit.

"—Wait," Blaze called, causing him to halt. He looked back at her with his full attention. "There's something else I plan to do today, but I'm going to need some help…"

•~•

Downstairs, Amy sat on the couch gently patting Faith's back as she tried to burp her after a feed. But once she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, Amy shifted her focus towards the sound and saw Shadow come in her direction. "Hey, how's Silver holding up?"

"Not great, but I'm hoping to alleviate that. There's a rare orchid that when turned into an ointment can help bring him out of his stupor," he explained stopping in front of her. "I'm about to head out and go search for it."

"You know where to find it?" Amy questioned as she continued to lightly pat Faith's back.

He shoved his hands into his jacket pocket. "I have some leads."

"You sure you don't want some help? I could always come with you," she offered kindly.

"That's a generous thought, but I'm not going to be the only one busy this morning. Blaze informed me that she has her own goals to achieve today and is going to need some spare hands. It's a tall order, so I called in some reinforcements to help her with her own mission," he stated. "She said she'd need your help, too."

"Oh, of course," Amy smiled cheerfully. "Well, in that case, I guess I'll see you around later?"

Shadow nodded before leaning in and giving her a small peck on the cheek. "Like always," he smiled playfully. He carefully took Faith from Amy's arms and gently rocked her in one arm while his other finger gently tapped her button nose. "Best to keep your eye on your mother for me, little one. She loves to find danger in her life," he smirked playfully.

Amy crossed her arms and shot a playful annoyed look back. "You're one to talk. Danger should be your middle name, Mr. Original." She reached over and took Faith out of his arms. "Now get outta here and find that flower," she laughed.

•~•

At the cemetery, Mighty sauntered inside their makeshift home in one of the larger mausoleums. He stopped in his tracks as he saw his mother sat at the altar, looking like she was in deep meditation. "I see Silver's no longer with us," Mighty observed, breaking the silence.

Gala-Na didn't respond at first and instead kept focused, keeping her eyes shut and her mood calm. Mighty gulped sensing the tension thickening in the room. "Mother, did you hear-"

"—Why didn't you tell me that you had brought Coal back?" she abruptly cut off.

"Oh, that…" Mighty felt his heart sink knowing repercussions were looming. "Believe me, I wanted to tell you, but-"

Her eyes shot open. "—He could have killed your brother! Then what would have happened to our plans?" she snapped, sending him flying back into one of the walls with an attack.

Mighty grumbled from her attack as he got his bearings. "My apologies, I was delicately trying to handle the situation myself," he defended while getting to his feet.

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking beyond disappointed. "You're lucky that Shadow took care of your father himself. I can't believe you kept this from me, Mephiles," she reprimanded.

"I can tell you are clearly irritated with my irrational decision. What would you like for me to do to make it up to you?"

"I'm going to need some time to accept it. This was a reckless and impulsive move. I would appreciate it if you gave me a few days to mull this over and process it."

Mighty turned around and headed for the exit. "Fair enough, I'll give you some space," he said before departing.

•~•

After making some calls, Andrew and Caleb met up at Shadow's mansion and sat on the sofa while Amy and Blaze waited for their final guest to arrive by the large living room window. Caleb looked at his wristwatch before shaking his head, clearly irked and growing impatient. "Will you just tell us who we're waiting on already?" he grumbled in annoyance. "Whoever it is, they're fifteen minutes late to the meeting."

Amy clasped her hands together feeling awkward for the delay. "Just give them five more minutes, I'm sure they're just-"

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Amy quickly made her way towards the front door. "Oh, that's them right now."

Seeing this as her cue, Blaze quickly walked off herself. "Be right back, guys. I'm going to go grab the supplies for the plan."

Andrew huffed and crossed his arms as he sunk further into the couch. "Someone needs to get this ass hat a watch," he muttered.

Amy came around the corner holding onto the arm of their guest. Andrew and Caleb craned their necks to see their newest arrival but felt their jaws drop in disgust. "Guys, Sonic is going to be helping us today."

Caleb's eyes burned into the hedgehog. "You," he leered.

Sensing a conflict arising, Amy put her hands up defensively and stepped in front of Sonic. "Caleb, listen," she begged, watching him get to his feet and storm towards them. He brushed past her, ignoring her pleading look. "Wait a second, we don't want to start any-"

SLAM.

Before she could finish her defense, Caleb had already grabbed ahold of Sonic by the collar of his shirt and slammed him up against the wall making it crack. Sonic held his cool and collected attitude and stared into the eyes of the pack leader. "I ought'a kill you slow and painfully for what you did to Jax."

"I know what I did is unforgivable, but I want to personally apologize for what I did to your pack member. You gotta believe me, the last few months, I've been coming to terms with all the horrendous things I did during the time my humanity was shut off. Honestly, pal, I am just as disgusted with myself as you are."

Amy placed a hand on Caleb's arm as he continued to hold Sonic in place, refusing to relinquish his hold. "Please, Caleb, listen to him. He wants to help us and pay us back."

"How could you ever trust this guy again, Amy?" Caleb snarled through clenched teeth. "He killed Jax, one of your friends, one of my pack members!"

"Just give me a chance and I'll prove that I'm not a bad person," Sonic pleaded as he continued to keep his cool.

"Maybe if you let me break a few ribs, a leg, or an arm, I'd feel a bit better," Caleb suggested with a wicked grin.

Andrew walked over and placed a hand on Caleb's shoulder. "C'mon man, Jax is gone. Taking out your anger out on this loser isn't going to bring him back," he countered.

After what seemed like an eternity, Caleb released his hold and stepped back. "You're right," he agreed, before turning his head to look at Amy. "I'll work with him, but don't expect me to like it," he muttered before walking off back towards the couch. "I'm doing this for you and Shadow," he pointed.

Amy smiled weakly at the dingo. "I appreciate that, Caleb. You don't have to like Sonic, but we need to work together."

A few seconds later, Blaze entered the room carrying an old storage box and looked around curiously at the silent room. "Everyone reacquainted then?" she asked breaking the silence with a forced smile.

"You could say that," Sonic grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. Caleb scoffed on the couch and made Sonic frown in response.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, let's get started," Blaze began. She walked over towards the coffee table and plopped the box down. "I think these will benefit us greatly in taking down Mephiles and detaining him in proper fashion," she spoke confidently.

Everyone leaned over, hovering over the open storage box to get a look. Disappointed with what was inside, Andrew pulled back and looked up with a deadpan expression. "Great, a box full of dusty old junk. We're saved," he droned facetiously.

Blaze furrowed her brows at his comment. "Actually, they're dark objects my uncle left for me when he died. These can be used against witches specifically. They're quite powerful, but hard to come by."

Sonic reached inside and pulled out a pair of old-fashioned cuffs and chains, and held them out to admire. "Kinky," he quipped with a smirk.

"Ha, ha, very funny, but these aren't meant to be used to explore your S&M fantasies, Sonic. When you place these on a witch, they can't-do magic as long as they're on," Blaze clarified.

"Pretty nifty then," Amy observed.

"Right, but we won't get the handcuffs on Mephiles while he's surrounded by a werewolf entourage," Andrew reminded. "Remember, half our pack is still brainwashed and on his side."

Sonic shrugged. "Yeah, but can't we just lure them away then? I'll volunteer myself for the job if that's what's needed."

Blaze tapped her fingers against the side of the box as she contemplated a plan. "Yes, that's exactly what we'll do, but we'll need some bait to lure Mephiles in." It went quiet until all eyes suddenly fell on Amy standing awkwardly off to the side.

Amy's ears fell down in submission as all eyes lingered on her. "Wait a second, why are you all looking at me?"

Sonic crossed his arms over his broad chest and smiled knowingly. "You're attractive and you've got history with the guy. All we have to do is prey to his weakness and dangle you out in front of him before we strike."

Amy huffed in offense and clenched her hands into fists by her side as she was objectified. "Excuse me, but how exactly do you know this will work? Why not Blaze?"

"I'd gladly be the bait, but I'm orchestrating this plan so I won't exactly be able to be apart of it," she excused.

"Why not?" Amy questioned.

"Shadow needs me to do some research on how to make the ointment for Silver once he finds that flower. Also, I figured I'd stay behind and watch Faith since she will need a babysitter," she explained.

Amy placed a hand on her hip and looked uncertain of the plan. "Well, I doubt Mephiles is into me. After all, he was the one that killed me in the first place."

"Yeah, about that…" Sonic piped up. " When I worked with Mephiles with my humanity off, there were a couple of times he'd, um, mention you…" Sonic reminisced uncomfortably.

Amy raised a curious brow. "Mention me, how so?"

Sonic looked down at the floor as he shuffled his feet awkwardly. "You know, he'd make comments about how he'd like to-"

"—Okay, I think I've got the picture," Amy quickly interjected and sighed. "Fine. Just make it look convincing, Mephiles is pretty smart."

•~•

The doorbell jingled as a new patron entered the quiet floral facility, catching the owner's attention. A young teen rabbit, no older than fifteen, hopped off her stool behind the counter and walked over to approach her newest customer. She put on her friendliest smile and stopped in front of the male. "Hello, sir, may I interest you in our latest deal on our fresh white roses?"

Shadow stared down at the young girl. "Oh, no thank you, but I do have some questions about floral arrangements that I'm hoping you could help me with."

She blinked a few times before nodding kindly. "Of course, sir. I'd be happy to help you." She stuck her hand out for him to shake. "My name is Cream by the way."

Shadow shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Cream. My name is Shadow."

"Wonderful, now if you'll just follow me over to my counter, I can properly help you with your inquires."

Shadow followed the girl as he led her to the counter where a computer, monitor, and cash register were present. "Right, well, I'm in search for a rare orchid," he started.

Cream resituated herself on her stool behind the counter. "Do you know the name of it? We may have them in stock."

"It goes by the name of Dragon's Mouth," he specified.

"Ah, yes, I have heard of those before, unfortunately, I can already tell you we don't have them in store. They are quite rare and on the pricey side," she noted. Cream began to type into her computer searching her database for other stores that might carry them.

Shadow leaned his arms across the countertop while she worked. "Price is not a concern of mine."

Cream's eyes scanned her screen as she gathered her information. "Hmm, well according to the database, there are no stores in the entire city that carry them. You see, despite their expensiveness, they're not in popular demand at the moment. In fact, they haven't been for several decades."

Shadow sagged at the statement. "Great…"

"But if you really want to get ahold of one, there may be a chance you could find one on your own. After all, they are in bloom," she replied, peaking his interest.

"I'm listening…"

Cream turned her screen so he could get a better look. "You see Mr. Shadow, this is what the flower looks like in full bloom." Shadow stared at the screen. The orchid was a vibrant pink with white pastels splattered along the petals, giving it a water painting like feel.

"It's gorgeous."

"Yes, it is quite beautiful. These flowers grow usually in very humid areas like swamps. They grow to about 15 centimeters and sprout usually one bud."

"Where would you recommend I start my search?"

Cream tapped her chin quizzically for a moment. "There's a swamp I know of, about thirty minutes from here. I could always print out a map."

Shadow smiled appreciatively. "Perfect, also write me up an order of two dozen white roses, it's the least I can do for helping me out."

Cream smiled appreciatively. "Right away, sir."

•~•

Later that evening, at one of the hottest nightclubs in town, Mighty sat at the bar drinking whiskey as he listened to the Jazz band performing on stage. A crowd gathered around as they swayed and danced to the upbeat tune, while other patrons drank at the bar. The three musicians playing, finished their current song and the bar erupted into a roar of applause. Mighty circled the rim of his glass in boredom, but his hearing perked when he heard a familiar voice nearby. "Excuse me, excuse me!"

The armadillo turned his head and spotted the owner of the voice at the other end of the bar. It was none other than Amy Rose looking quite enticing in her strapless white crop top that showed off a bit of cleavage, along with her short black sequined mini skirt that showed off her toned legs in her white stilettos. He watched as she desperately tried to flag down the busy bartenders tending to their customers. "Hey, excuse me!" she continued.

Seeing her flustered from the lack of service, Mighty hopped off his barstool and navigated through the crowd as he made his way over to her end. He eyed her up and down, taking in her alluring figure before coming to a full stop right beside her. "Hello Miss Rose," he purred, startling her.

Amy gasped as she turned to look at him. "Muh-mephiles…"

He reached out and took her right hand and brought it up to his lips before giving it a soft peck. "Charmed to see me again, I'm sure." Amy yanked her hand out of his in disgust before hurrying off. Mighty couldn't help but notice that she looked quite frightened as she fled. Shaking his head in annoyance, he followed after her. "What's the rush, dearest?" he chuckled.

Amy glared at him over his shoulder as she stormed off. "Leave me alone, you creep!" she shouted as she rounded a corner, but quickly groaned in frustration seeing she was trapped in a sea of people.

Mighty chuckled at her failed attempt to escape. "Darling, I don't intend to harm you," he pledged, putting up a hand of allegiance. "Wait a second, where's that brother of mine?" he asked before taking a glance around the room.

Her ears fell sadly at the mention. "We had a bad fight and I don't know if I ever want to see or talk to him again," she lied. "I had to get out of the house and get some fresh air," she answered. "And go someplace he'd never be able to find me…"

Mighty tilted his head curiously by her description. His brother fighting with Amy? And now, here she was, vulnerable, possibly heart-broken, and in need of some company? This was just too easy and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to prey on her, especially with her looking as fetching as she currently did. He wrapped an arm around her waist tenderly, pulling her in. "Oh, you poor soul, let me get you a drink and you can tell me everything," he smirked charmingly.

•~•

After a bit of a drive, Shadow arrived at the wetlands that Cream had told him about. Once he parked his car, he began his walk through the soggy soil. Tall trees surrounded him covered in moss and other aquatic vegetation. The stench around him was quite putrid, but Shadow ignored the smell, determined to find the flower.

The hybrid walked through the swamp hearing the slushy sound of the wetlands cling to his shoes with every step he took. His eyes scanned the perimeter as he desperately searched for the rare orchid. Shadow continued his trek through the wetlands and shoved his hand into his jacket pocket pulling out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and glanced at the image Cream had printed out of the coveted rare orchid for reference. "I know you have to be around here. I can feel it," he spoke to himself.

•~•

Back at the bar, Amy and Mighty had gotten very acquainted with one another after a couple of drinks. "So, he doesn't want you to be mortal again? That's what the fight was about?" Mighty probed.

Amy nodded solemnly. "I hate being this way. When Shadow and I started getting close, I told him I had no intention of becoming a vampire."

"My dear, I completely understand. I loathed the vampire side of me when I was like you," he related.

She fiddled with her hands nervously. "So, is it true then? Can your mother really make me a mortal again?" she asked curiously.

"Of course she can, that's all my mother wants to do with her intentions," he promised.

Amy smiled with optimism. "You know, Mephiles, talking to you tonight wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I've learned a lot about you tonight, but I just wish I could learn more if it wasn't so late."

Mighty's eyelids lowered seductively as he gave her an alluring smile. "There's a lot you could learn about me tonight if you gave me more time," he hinted, placing his right hand on her upper thigh.

Amy's face went red as she felt his hand reside there. She moved away one of her bangs from her eyes and gave him a shy smile. "Well…I do want to have some company tonight," she lied.

Mighty hopped off his bar stool and offered out his hand for her to take. "Then it's settled." Amy gracefully slipped off her own bar stool and placed her hand in his. Mighty escorted her out by his side and slyly placed his hand on her lower backside, grazing her buttocks. Amy shot him a sheepish smile with a blush as he took a cheeky grope of her ass. "Uh," she spoke, making him stop in his tracks. "Do you mind if I just use the bathroom real quick?"

"Not at all."

"Great, be back in a few minutes!" Mighty watched as she walked through the busy crowd towards the restrooms, but was alarmed when she completely vanished after walking behind a couple. Concerned for her wellbeing, Mighty scoured the area where he last saw her and found her nowhere in sight. Seeing that the exit to the club was relatively close to the bathrooms, he walked outside to do further investigation, but once he was on the main sidewalk, there was not a soul in sight. Just when he was about to give up, his hearing picked up a female scream from the alleyway.

Following the cries for help, Mighty stumbled across a hooded figure hovered over Amy as he bit into the side of her neck viciously. Amy cried out in agony as the figure held her down during his assault. Mighty scowled at the sight and rushed towards them. "Stop!" he yelled.

The hooded figure looked over his shoulder at the other end of the alley where Mighty stood, but his identity was still cloaked by his hood. Mighty squinted, spotting the figure's yellow illuminating eyes peeking out through the shrouded hood. The warlock made a running start towards the stranger, but the attacker made a mad dash and jumped from wall to wall before escaping onto one of the rooftops. When he finally got to her side, Mighty dropped down to his knees to get a look at Amy's status. Moving her neck slightly, his eyes widened when he saw the deadly werewolf bite on her neck. "You're safe now, but how are you feeling?" he asked.

"It hurts," Amy gasped.

"Rest assured, I'll get you tended to," Mighty spoke, until he heard a whistle. The warlock stood upright looking around for the source and turned around looking at another building where he spotted the same werewolf that had attacked Amy, standing defiantly in the distance. His yellow eyes continued to glow as he made a gesture with his hand, beckoning for Mighty to come after him. "That son of-"

Suddenly, the mysterious werewolf darted off, leaping from the rooftop and onto another as he ran away into the darkness. Mephiles looked back down behind him, expecting to see Amy still there, but instead found her body had completely disappeared. "Damn it!"


	11. Brothers

At an old funeral home, Mighty pulled out his cellphone and dialed the one person he knew he could get answers from, Andrew. The armadillo laid his cell phone down on the table after putting it on speaker. He continued to multi-task as he pulled out a map of the city. While the phone rang, he unrolled the map onto a table and set some lit candles on each corner, to keep it weighed down. Eventually, the phone line picked up and Andrew's voice came through the speaker. "Hello?"

Mighty continued his multi-tasking by getting sand out of a bag and sprinkling a small pile onto the map. "Andrew, it's Mighty. One of your wolves attacked and kidnapped a girl outside of Club Chaotix."

"Shit, really?" Andrew questioned with feigned concern. "How do you know for sure it was one of my guys?"

He growled irately by his skepticism. "I know because it was a wolf bite. The only werewolves I know that can use their bite in their mortal form are those with the moonlight rings. Now, who broke rank?"

There was a pause before Andrew finally responded. "I'll knock some heads together and find out."

Mephiles exhaled a sigh. "I'll know where she is shortly when I complete this locator spell. Once I get her whereabouts, you'll meet me there, but I want you to come alone because your wolves can't be trusted." Mighty hung up and continued his witchcraft, determined to locate Amy in time. He rubbed at the skin between his eyes as his anxiety grew. "Mother will kill me if anything happens to that girl…"

•~•

Meanwhile, at the abandoned church, Andrew hung up on his conversation with Mephiles before turning to the rest of the group. "Well, he bought it. His locator spell will bring him here without the bodyguards, as planned."

In the background, Amy sat on the altar while Sonic helped clean up her bite wound with a medical kit.

Amy cringed, as he wiped away some dried blood from her neck with a drenched alcohol cotton ball. "Sheesh, you couldn't go a little gentler on the neck back there?" Amy questioned, wincing from pain.

Sonic handed her a vial of Shadow's blood for her to drink. "Sorry about that, Ames. It shouldn't hurt too much longer," he chuckled. Amy downed the blood quickly to get the cure in her system. "Good thing Shadow keeps stored vials of his blood around for emergencies like this."

She handed him back the empty vial and wiped her mouth with the back of her other hand. "This is the third time I've been bitten and it still hurts just as bad like it did the first two times."

Sonic laughed lightly. "Heck, I don't plan to do it again anytime soon," he grinned.

"Good," she chuckled.

Sonic took a seat by her side on the steps, now that they could relax for a couple of minutes. "Hey, so, I was meaning to ask this earlier, but is Shadow really okay with us hanging out without him around?"

"Um, to be honest, I think he isn't completely worried knowing you have a girlfriend now," Amy answered. "Speaking of which," she segwayed, "Does Sally have any issues with _you_ hanging out with me right now?"

"Well, she knows about our history together and I think she may feel the same way Shadow does. You see, she didn't completely understand why I had to implant myself back in your life, but I told her this was something I had to do to better myself."

Amy nodded as she listened to his logic. "I see. Well, I don't want her to feel uncomfortable around me. From what I've seen, she seems nice. I think she's good for you, Sonic," Amy smiled sincerely.

"Yeah?" he smiled eagerly. "I'm glad to hear it, because I gotta tell yah, Ames. I'm head over heels for her."

Amy rested her arms over her knees pulled towards her chest. "How did you two meet, anyway?"

"On the road," he started. "She was a loner after running away from her pack—she hasn't told me everything yet, but things were apparently difficult back home. I ran into her when she was in some trouble and ever since then, we've grown really close."

Amy placed a hand on his shoulder. "Aw, I'm so happy for you, Sonic. I wish nothing but the best for you two, and I hope that…we can still remain friends?"

"Same goes for you and Shadow," Sonic replied. "You know I haven't ever really liked the guy, but I can tell that he truly loves you. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "And like I said, I'll always be your friend, Ames."

Their touching moment was cut short when Andrew walked over. "Hey, Mephiles is going to be here in ten minutes. We need to prep for the ambush."

Amy and Sonic got to their feet in unison and Sonic turned to look at Amy. "Well, you better get into your hiding position," he recommended. "In the meantime, I'll get into my position as well."

"Good luck," Amy wished.

Sonic turned on his heel. "Don't keep me hanging," he waved.

•~•

Back with Shadow, it had been a couple of hours since his search, and still, the Original had yet to come across the coveted orchid. It was incredibly dark out now and Shadow was wet, covered in sweat, moss, dirt, and other grime, as he waded through the waist-deep, smelly, swamp water with a flashlight in hand. While he searched, his eyes continued to look near tree bases, shrubbery, tall grass, and low lying places.

As he navigated his flashlight through the darkness, it finally stumbled across something that made him do a double take. Quickly, he reversed after having seen something that stood out against the greenery. His flashlight stopped on a freshly bloomed Dragon Mouth orchid perched under an oak tree. Shadow stared in awe as he slowly began to wade towards it, almost staring in disbelief at his discovery. It had been a couple of hours since he began his search, and he started to believe he'd never find one.

But just when he was about to celebrate, his ears perked in alert when he heard a splash come from a distance behind him. Shadow quickly spun around in the waist deep water, searching for the source of the sound with his flashlight. His torch eventually stopped on some water twenty feet away from where the shore was. The water near the shore rippled as if something large had just submerged in for a swim.

Then, as if on cue, a large alligator grabbed ahold of him by the arm and dragged him underneath. The water splashed violently as Shadow and the large ten-foot gator wrestled beneath the water's surface. A few minutes passed, as the water violently thrashed back and forth. Either Shadow or the gator was putting up quite the fight, but only one would come out victorious. Suddenly, the water started to calm, and the only sound that occurred were the crickets chirping throughout the forest. The water grew very still but started to grow dark red.

After a minute, bubbles rippled and Shadow broke through the surface, gasping for breath as he stood, clutching a large alligator heart in his hand. He let the heart roll out of his hand and plop into the swampy water, before diving back underwater to find his flashlight.

He popped back above the surface and lifted his injured arm to get a look at it with his light source. Hissing from the sight, his arm was torn to bits. Parts of his flesh dangled to the side, revealing muscles and other tissue. Blood continued to pour down his arm and into the water from his severe injury. Shadow clenched his teeth, bearing through the pain knowing he'd heal eventually thanks to his immortality. Holding the retrieved flashlight he shined the light back over to the flower, smiling to see it stick intact.

•~•

After completing his location spell, Mighty finally found Amy's location and called Andrew to meet him there. The church doors flung open and Mighty stepped inside full of adrenaline. His eyes scanned the room for Andrew, but after not seeing anyone in sight, he growled lowly. "Andrew!" he shouted.

Timidly, Andrew came out from around the corner. "I'm here," he said, meekly raising his hand up. "Heh, it's been awhile since we've met face to face, huh?"

The armadillo stormed down the aisle towards the orange canine, ignoring his forced small talk. "Where is she? Who was responsible for the attack?"

Andrew shrugged nervously. "No idea, boss. None of my guys have used their moonlight rings to utilize their bite in their mortal form. I don't know who was responsible, but I found Amy and I have her in the old office," he gestured. "She's a bit shaken, but she'll be fine."

Mighty stared at him suspiciously with a long pause of silence. "You know what's strange…when I did my location spell, it told me you were already at the location where Amy was being held. Now, I find that oddly convenient since I only recently told you of her whereabouts. After the blood moon incident with the children, I've already grown suspicious of your allegiance," he alluded.

Andrew grew unnerved as Mighty pieced together his deception. "Listen, I-"

Sticking his hand out, Mighty sent the werewolf flying down the aisle by an unseen force and into some wooden benches. Hitting his head hard against the back of a bench, Andrew was knocked out cold. Mighty looked around in the darkened room and lifted his arms up at his side. In an instant, all the unlit candles in the church ignited, allowing him to see better. "Amy, Amy?" he called.

Then, out of nowhere, Mighty was tackled to the ground from behind and landed onto the floor. He grunted as he was forced to the ground roughly from behind. Quickly, he rolled over onto his side, holding his hurt arm and looked up at his attacker. His eyes widened as he stared at the familiar blue hedgehog above him. "I'm gonna enjoy kicking your ass," Sonic chuckled as cracked his knuckles.

Mighty pushed himself off the floor, slowly getting his bearings. "You…What have you done with her?"

"I killed her," he lied boldly.

Mighty narrowed his eyes angrily, believing into his fib. "My mother had plans in store for that girl and mother dearest won't be pleased if that's true." Mighty flashed his hand out before him, sending Sonic hurtling backward onto his back by his magic. Sonic hit the ground with a thud and groaned from impact. Mighty walked without urgency down the aisle towards his target. "Hybrids die by losing their head or their heart, and given the choice, I'm going take the organ that got you into this mess in the first place," he shouted wickedly.

Sonic scooted backward, suddenly growing intimidated by what was next to come. "Letivus!" Mighty shouted bringing Sonic up to his feet and keeping him frozen in place. Sonic screamed out in agony as he felt his rib cage cracking internally. He placed his right hand on his chest, feeling a pressure build up right where his heart was. In that moment, Mighty was slowly ripping his heart straight out of his chest with his magic. He kept his right hand outwards forming a fist. "Letivus con se," he snickered seeing blood pour from Sonic's trembling mouth.

Sonic gagged as he felt his heart ripping slowly out of his body. He shut his eyes tight, coming to terms that the end was near. Mighty tightened his grip with his outstretched hand, preparing the final move until an arrow whizzed out of nowhere and shot him in the shoulder from behind. "AAAH!"

Mighty stopped his magic and turned around, looking at the entrance where he spotted Caleb with a bow and arrow in hand.

Sonic dropped to his knees now that the spell had been broken. He panted as he held his chest where his heart remained intact. "Geez, you took your time there," he groaned realizing how close he was to perish.

"My timing was a little off on purpose," Caleb spoke, narrowing his eyes at the blue hedgehog. It was obvious that even though they were working together at the moment, Caleb still held a bit of contempt for the hedgehog. Without another word, Caleb withdrew another arrow and quickly shot another one into Mighty's left leg before he could retaliate.

Mighty screamed again and fell backward onto his butt, seething in pain. Just as he tried to pull the one arrow from his chest, a swift pink blur came up and placed a pair of handcuffs around his wrists.

Shocked by the quick movement, Mighty looked down at his chained wrists before slowly looking up at the person who had placed them there: Amy Rose. Mighty held up his hands towards her trying to do an attack spell, but found his magic was not working like usual. "What…what did you do to me?" he rasped.

Amy crossed her arms over her chest. "Something that needed to be done."

•~•

Back at home, Shadow gave the flower to Blaze and she whipped up the ointment within thirty minutes. Now with his orchid ointment at the ready, Shadow and Blaze entered Silver's bedroom to release him from his nightmare. Still asleep, Silver looked tormented as he thrashed his head back and forth against his pillow. A thick coat of sweat dampened his forehead, and Shadow frowned at the sight. He flocked to his bedside with the bowl of ointment in hand. "Do it, Shadow," Blaze commanded.

Carefully, Shadow took a glob of ointment on his index and middle finger and smeared it on the carved scar on the side of Silver's neck. As he smeared the ointment in, he sighed sadly. "We were innocent once, Silver. This bloodlust was forced upon us by our parents, turning us from prey to predator," he reminded softly. Blaze took the bowl of remaining ointment away and watched as Shadow placed his right hand on Silver's forehead and closed his eyes, trying to infiltrate his mind again.

•~•

Meanwhile, in Silver's head, his long-lasting nightmare was still in effect. Inside his night terror, the younger Silver dropped to his knees on the brink of exhaustion from trying to outrun his monstrous older self. In the darkness of the forest, he could hear Shadow's words reverberating through the woods. He lifted his head and was startled when he spotted Shadow standing in the flesh before him. "Brother?"

Shadow knelt down to Silver's level and placed a hand on his shoulder with assurance. "I know you think we are monsters, but in actuality, we are the demons lurking in the shadows. We are the savage villains in fairy tales told to children, but not for my child, not for Faith."

"What are we to her, then?" the young Silver questioned.

"In her story, we are the knights in shining armor. Without you by my side, I don't think I can survive my own love for my daughter…I need you," he begged. Silver looked uncertain on his brother's plea as his ears fell solemnly. Shadow stared into his amber eyes pleadingly. "The monster in me can only be checked by the monster in you. Only together can we defeat our demons and save our family." He outstretched his hand out towards him. "Come back with me."

Silver stared at Shadow's hand before looking back at the older version of him, lurking in the distance by some trees. The darker version of him stared at them in wait for their next move. Coming to his decision, the young Silver placed his hand into Shadow's.

•~•

Back in reality, after hearing Shadow's heartfelt plea, Silver opened his eyes finally having his nightmare end. Shadow stepped back, startled at first, but was relieved to see him awake. "Welcome back, brother," he smiled softly.

Blaze was just as pleased to see her fiancé awake. "Oh, Silver!" she exclaimed happily as she hugged him. Still a little dazed and confused, Silver wrapped a gentle arm around Blaze, happy to see her again.

As Silver held Blaze in his arms, his amber eyes glanced over to Shadow and he gave a small smile. "Thank you, brother." Shadow returned a small smile and nodded, pleased to see him seemingly back to normal.

•~•

Twenty minutes later, Silver took a quick shower and got dressed into new clothes. As he buttoned up his pajama shirt in the mirror, he stared at his reflection, reflecting internally over the events that had taken place in the past days. Although he had fought his mother's persuasion to his best mental ability, some of the memories she had forced him to relive, continued to haunt him. In particular, the locked memory of his murdered first love especially seemed to plague his mind and weigh heavily on his conscious. It disgusted him that he had lived all these years believing it was his mother who was responsible for her death. Instead, he really was the true monster she had claimed he was.

Silver finished buttoning the last button but gasped as a quick flash of him devouring Gold, flashed into his mind again. Silver looked down at his clean hands as he thought back to all the times had lost control in his past to his vampirism. But before he could contemplate too deeply on the dark subject matter, an unexpected voice broke his concentration. "—How do you feel?" Shadow questioned, standing in his open doorway.

Silver relaxed his stance by dropping his arms to his sides and stared at his brother's reflection in his standing mirror. "The worst has passed," Silver answered sorrowfully. "Though, I suspect the nightmares are far from over."

Shadow slowly entered his room, keeping a respectful distance. "Well, gather your strength," he advised. "I expect hellfire to rain down upon us imminently."

Silver turned around to face him as determination of revenge lingered heavily in his mind. "We need to make a move before she strikes."

"—Actually, moves were made while you were sleeping," Blaze interrupted from the doorway.

Both brothers looked over in her direction. "What kind of moves?" Silver questioned curiously.

Blaze smiled proudly. "Amy and the wolf pack left a little gift for you two down in the living room."

Eager to see what it was, Silver quickly left the room, forcing Shadow to follow him. The two siblings rushed downstairs like it was Christmas morning, only to see Amy, Sonic, Caleb, and Andrew patiently standing by the doorway. Silver looked at Sonic for a moment, curious to know what he was involved. Sonic picked up his bafflement and shrugged. "It's a long story, but I'm sure Shadow will fill you in later," he quickly spoke.

Silver nodded. "Yes, I suppose he shall." He continued onward to get a look at what had been brought home. Shadow trailed behind his brother until he noticed something odd.

"Enjoy," Amy smiled, giving Shadow a wink.

Shadow stopped in his tracks momentarily, eyeing her attire suspiciously. "Do I even want to ask why you're dressed like that?"

Amy giggled by his evident jealously. "Don't get too jealous now, it all had to do with our grand plan. Now go and see what we brought you guys!"

Shadow walked past the group and stopped in his tracks as he stood beside Silver. Chained up in the entryway was Mighty, hung up by the arms in the doorframe leading into the living room. His arms cuffed by the magic handcuffs, kept him held up as his chains were nailed to the wall. "Kidnapping—that's a rather unpleasant way to begin a family reunion," he spat, glaring at his younger brothers.

Shadow eyed the armadillo up and down, rather pleased to see him detained before him. "Well, wait until you see how we end it."


	12. Old Faces

The next morning, Shadow stared out his kitchen window longingly with his arms firmly tucked behind his back. After a few moments, he turned his head slightly to the left to look at someone over his shoulder. "Forget your animosity towards Silver and myself," he began. "Instead, join us against she who truly deserves your ire, our mother," he finished, turning around to stare at Mighty still chained by the magical handcuffs. The brooding warlock sat at the kitchen table as Silver sat on the other side, shooting Mighty a malignant stare while Shadow gave him their pitch. Mighty, on the other hand, continued to hold his tongue, refusing to show any emotion as his brother continued his tangent. "Do this, and we will welcome you with open arms."

Mighty eyed the donuts laid out on the table as he considered the offer. "Well," he began, reaching for the tasty pastries lying out in front of him.

Silver quickly moved them out of his reach, dragging them closer in his direction. "—If you continue to oppose us, a denial of pastries will be the least of your concerns," Silver spoke seriously.

"Denying me food, that's all you have?" Mighty chuckled in pity.

"Well, this was Shadow's doing," Silver quickly defended. "My recommendation was to remove your limbs one by one until you comply," he said in a serious tone.

Seeing the tone had shifted in an unwanted direction, Shadow patted Silver on the back. "He's kidding. We have no desire to torture you, provided you vow to stand beside us as brothers," Shadow assured.

"Brothers?" Mighty repeated in amusement. "Does that word even apply to us after all these centuries of betrayal? Is loyalty to you ever _really_ rewarded," he challenged.

"Yes, it is," Silver defended.

Mighty shook his head in pity at their naivety. "You two are fools. Mother was trying to make you mortal again, but you both refused her," he reiterated as he leaned back in his chair. "This only proves how far you've fallen."

"You say this as if anyone would be foolish enough to fall for our mother's promise," Silver frowned, crossing his arms across his chest.

Mighty smirked knowingly. "Well, I do. After talking to the lovely Amy Rose last night, I think she is the perfect candidate for testing our mother's promise. You see, unlike the two of you, she _clings_ to her humanity."

Shadow furrowed his brows. "Amy is off limits. You pursue her and you will suffer," he threatened.

"Mother is quite determined, I imagine it's only a matter of time before she's completely convinced Amy that her option is the only way," he smiled darkly before turning his eyes to Silver. Silver felt his fingers twitch as he stared at him—anger growing more by the second. "Who knows, maybe she'll even have Blaze on her side, too."

Feeling like he had heard enough, Silver stood and reached across the table, grabbed Mighty by the collar, and yanked him over the table, spilling glasses, silverware, plates, and food. Mighty hollered as he was held down. Silver bared his fangs and dug them into the side of his neck.

Intervening quickly, Shadow pried his brother off of Mephiles and slammed him up against the hallway wall just outside the kitchen. Silver thrashed in his brother's grasp for a moment, while Shadow tried to regain control over his animalistic instincts. "Silver, Silver, calm down!" he urged.

After a few moments, Silver obeyed and panted as he tried to catch his breath. "Why won't you let me just kill him already?"

"I enjoy a bloodletting as much as anyone, but our brother has power, as well as knowledge of our Mother's plans. I wish to kill him just as badly as you do. He was the one that killed Amy and made her a vampire in the first place, and he went after my daughter. If I can have self-control in this moment, you should be able to as well," he said releasing his hold on him. "Please, we need him alive," he stressed.

Silver glared, still not in approval of his current methods. Softening slightly, Shadow handed him a napkin to wipe away the blood smeared around his lips. Silver accepted it begrudgingly. "Can you imagine what they would do to Amy, to Blaze, even to Faith?"

He watched as Silver cleaned up his face with the tissue. "I realize your concerns, but you need to focus on the task at hand," Shadow reminded, before peeking into the kitchen, hoping Mephiles hadn't overheard them. The warlock was currently on the floor cleaning up his own appearance as he held a napkin up to his bloody neck. "We need to persuade him," he spoke quietly.

"I'm through with persuasion." Silver tried to brush past Shadow, but the ebony hedgehog grabbed him by the arm, stopping him.

Shadow kept a firm hand on his brother's shoulder and stared into his amber eyes. "Has the Earth shifted on its axis? Why do you suddenly need so much restraint from me?"

Silver removed Shadow's hand from his shoulder, swiping it away like mere dust. "I've changed, Shadow," he growled quietly.

"Clearly, I can see that, but as much as you want to kill Mephiles, we need allies against our mother. We need to turn him to our side. Without his help, we're in trouble."

"If you're so insistent on your plan, then handle him yourself," Silver snapped. Shadow watched as Silver walked towards the staircase, before disappearing upstairs.

•~•

After the conference, Shadow wandered upstairs and headed into the nursery only to find Amy putting a yellow onesie on Faith. Amy smiled sweetly down at her daughter and scooped her up into her arms. Shadow smiled at the sight and pushed the door open further. "Hey."

Amy turned, holding Faith in her arms. "Hey, there. I couldn't help but overhear a lot of commotion going on downstairs. Is everything alright?"

Shadow sighed. "Silver and I are not seeing eye to eye on how to deal with Mephiles," he explained. "He's been acting differently since he woke up."

Amy frowned and approached him while she carried Faith. "I'm sorry to hear that, but Silver did go through something rather traumatic. I mean, we still don't know exactly what your mother did to him, but it had to be pretty bad for her to keep him so long."

"That's what worries me. I've never seen him display this type of personality before."

"He's probably still in a lot of shock," Amy theorized.

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest. "Perhaps…"

"On another note, I don't know what your plans are for the day, but there's some stuff happening with the wolves out in the Mystic Ruins. Caleb wanted me to come down and help him sort some stuff out, but I talked to Sonic about it and he volunteered to go in my place," she smiled.

Shadow smiled at her before leaning over and giving her a peck on the cheek. "You've really helped me out in the last couple of weeks, you know," he commended.

Amy blushed by his sincere compliment. "I want to help where I can. I'm trying to hang up my role as the ole' damsel in distress," she laughed light-heartedly.

•~•

In the Mystic Ruins, Sonic and Sally got out of their parked car and began their trek towards the campsite. "This is where your werewolf friend lives?" she questioned with scrutiny. There had to be at least two-dozen trailers, and other various tents set up. It wasn't the nicest place for someone to have to live, especially since it was near a swamp and far away from civilization.

"I wouldn't class him as a friend, but more of an acquaintance," he corrected. "This guy doesn't really like me much. Like I said during the drive, I'm doing this as a favor to Amy," he chuckled lightly.

Sally moved in closer and grabbed a hold of his hand as they walked together. "And why exactly are we doing this for her?"

"Like I've been telling you, I want to redeem some of the awful things I did with my humanity shut off. I figured the best place to start was with the pack that I did damage to. Amy told me they're having issues with division, so I wanted to step in and help where I could," he explained.

"Sounds like something we shouldn't be getting involved in if I'm honest, but if this is something that will help you spiritually, I won't complain or try to stop you."

He smiled at her appreciatively. "Thanks, Sal." They stopped at the entrance, where they spotted other werewolves going about their day.

"So, where's this alpha, then?" Sally inquired.

"—Sally?" a male voice said from behind the two.

The couple turned, only to see Caleb standing a few yards away from them, staring at the two like he had seen a ghost. Sally's mouth dropped slightly in surprise as she recognized the male dingo immediately. She pulled her hand away from Sonic, making him confused by her sudden gesture. "Caleb…"

Sonic looked between the two, realizing that they both clearly knew each other. "Uh, you two have met before?"

Caleb barred his teeth in the corner of his mouth. "She's my ex-fiancé. We were betrothed to each at birth by our packs."

Sonic gulped nervously. "Oh boy…"

•~•

Two minutes later, Sonic pulled Sally off to the side to speak more about her past relationship with Caleb. The two stood behind one of the trailers to discuss the matter more in private. "You lied to me?" Sonic questioned, taken aback.

Sally twirled a lock of her hair around her finger nervously. "I didn't lie to you. I-I just didn't give you all the fine details. Did I not tell you after we met that I had run away from my old pack?"

He thought back, remembering when they had first told each other of their pasts. "Yeah, you did."

"And did I not tell you that I was with someone who I did not love?" she reminded.

"Well, yes, but…"

She rested her right hand on her cocked left hip. "Either way, you knew about the key facts. I just didn't give you the specifics, like names."

"You didn't tell me that you were basically the princess of a werewolf pack," he noted. "Why did that little fact slip your mind?" he interrogated softly.

"Because I didn't think it was necessary. That was all behind me and I never thought I'd return," she argued as she turned her back on him. Sonic watched as she wrapped her arms around herself, looking troubled. "Are you mad at me, Sonic?"

He walked closer and placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Not mad, not even disappointed, just shocked that we live in such a small world. I mean, who would have thought you had originally been wed to Caleb, the guy that now hates my guts," he cracked lightly, making her smile slightly.

"I guess that is kind of weird how this all turned out," she agreed, turning around to face him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, inching her face closer to his. "So, we're okay then?"

"We're more than okay, babe," he grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in closer. "Just don't be afraid to talk to me. I'm a great listener and I happen to be pretty open-minded."

She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I love you, Sonic."

"Heh, I love you too, Sal," he winked playfully. The two inched in for another kiss, but a voice pulled them away.

"Ahem." They looked to their left, where they spotted Caleb waiting off to the side and staring at the ground to his right. "Mind if I have a moment alone with Sally?" he asked not looking at them.

The couple broke from their romantic embrace and Sally nodded, confirming it'd be all right. "Sure."

Sonic walked off in the other direction to give them privacy. "I'll be by the campfire if you need me."

Once they were alone, Sally awkwardly, tucked her arms behind her back and approached the dingo. "So…what did you want to talk about?"

"Uh, I don't know," he replied passively, "How about finding out why you left me—left your pack?"

She looked away briefly, hearing the venom in his tone. "I didn't love you and I wanted to be able to find someone who I truly loved," she answered. "We've never really clicked if I'm honest…"

"Was that really the only reason?" he probed, still skeptical of her answer.

She shook her head. "No, I also never really felt like a rightful leader to our pack. I know that I was destined to become your wife and queen, but I didn't see that in my future," she answered. "I wanted to travel and find myself. When I was living here, I was always forced to be this type of person I never truly was."

He frowned at her response but stepped closer. "Do you know how long I searched for you, believing you were hurt or worse?"

"I can only imagine," she surmised. "I'm sorry I made you worry for my wellbeing, but I've been able to manage on my own."

He shook his head in disappointment. "I was in love with you, you know…and now you're with him—a murderer."

"I'm well aware of Sonic's past, but the Sonic I know now is a better person than who he was several months ago," she defended.

Caleb mulled over her answer before looking away again. "I may have moved on from loving you, but I still care about you, Sally."

She smiled. "I would like to start over if you'll let me?"

He smiled weakly. "Of course, but can I get a hug first?"

Instead of answering, Sally walked over and embraced him, allowing him to return one. The two hugged it out for a couple of moments until they were interrupted once more.

Andrew stood nearby, and cleared his throat, breaking their touching moment. "We need to talk."

•~•

Now all together, Andrew paced anxiously in front of Caleb, Sonic, and Sally after picking up some troubling news. "My wolves are freaking out. They know it must be an insider who took Mighty down last night, seeing as no one could've been near him. They still don't know that I've flipped."

"So there's no way anybody suspects it was you?" Caleb questioned.

Andrew stopped his pacing and shook his head. "Not yet, but they're gonna figure out sooner or later. They ain't dumb."

"Why don't you call up a meeting for the whole pack tonight?" Sally advised. "If they're scared, now is the time to convince them they need to part ways with the witches."

"About that…" Andrew held up his hand adorning his moonlight ring. "Mighty and Gala-Na gave us these moonlight rings to keep us in their alliance."

"Yeah, but those rings make you their slaves," Sonic pointed.

"—No, they make us powerful," he argued lowering his hand. "Werewolves were exiled before, now we run the city with an iron fist. Vampires are scared of us," he smiled proudly. "No one, including me, is gonna walk away from that-"

"—Set the damn meeting," Caleb spoke cutting him off. Sonic and Sally stared at the dingo, surprised that he had agreed with him.

Andrew bowed his head respectively. "Alright." Caleb watched as Andrew walked off before exiting himself.

Standing there awkwardly for a moment, Sally watched as Sonic followed after the dingo. The blue hedgehog frowned when he found him rustling into an ice cooler and cracking open a beer. "So, are you going to work on rousing a speech or just get day-drunk?"

Caleb finished taking a swig of his beer, trying to block out Sonic's nagging. "A little bit of both," he said flatly.

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably feeling the tension rise. "Heh, hate to break it to yah pal, but it's only 10 A.M."

"You think I don't realize that?" he spat, shooting him an annoyed glare. "I'm stressed out and need something to help me mellow out. Now buzz off."

"—You don't need to be so snappy towards him. He's just trying to help," Sally scolded, coming up behind the two.

"I don't care, I may have made up with you, but I don't like the guy," he snapped before walking off.

Sonic blinked in surprise as he watched the dingo saunter over to the lake, where he plopped down into a lawn chair with his beer in hand. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Sonic walked over and stood by his side. "Like Amy said earlier, you don't have to like me, but she sent me over here to help you guys out. I want to help wherever I can so-"

"—I don't need your help, especially from _you_ ," he spoke in disgust.

Sonic's brows furrowed. "Listen bud, I know you're still mad at me for killing your friend, but I'm trying to redeem myself here. You may not want my help, but Amy is my friend and I intend to help her out."

Caleb groaned in defeat. "Fine, you wanna help so badly?" He leaned over and picked up a notebook from the small side table next to his lawn chair. "I've been trying to study up more about the history of our people. I was up all night, looking through this journal, trying to find something—anything that'll help me figure out how to get our people back together."

"Let me guess—no such luck?" Sonic deduced.

He handed him the notebook. "Nothing viable. So forgive me if I need a beer, cause I need all the help I can get. I just don't particularly want it from you," he mumbled under his breath.

"Well, you're going to get nothing but the best," he pledged. Sonic looked down at the old and worn book with determination. "I'll get you an answer today. I promise."

•~•

Back at the estate, Silver laid in bed with his arms tucked behind the back of his head as he stared up at the ceiling. While he idly stared at nothing, more flashbacks from his past popped into his mind. Images of him slaughtering past victims appeared in brutal fashion. He heard the screams of his victims, saw the gore of his murders, and could even vaguely feel the pain and suffering of those who witnessed it. Closing his eyes and trying to block out the pain, Silver felt his heart race as he desperately tried to shut off his frantic mind. "…Silver?"

Hearing his name called, he opened his eyes and spotted Blaze coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her wet form.

He sat up, trying to act composed. "Yes?"

She slowly approached him, keeping the towel tightly secured around her frame. "Are you okay? You looked like you were shaking."

"I'm fine," he lied, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. "I'm just tired."

Blaze took a seat on the edge of the bed by his side. "I thought maybe you and I could spend the day together and get your mind off some things," she proposed.

"What about Mephiles?" he inquired.

She placed a hand on his back and rubbed it up and down soothingly. "Shadow told me he'll deal with him."

His eyes looked away with uncertainty. "I don't know, Blaze…"

"Come on," she begged. "We can spend the day doing all the things we love, like exploring the city, eating out, shopping," she listed as she scooted closer. "And then when we get back, we can always make love?" she purred playfully as she leaned in for a kiss, but he quickly leaned back, terrified of her come on.

Blaze shot him another baffled look. "What's wrong now?"

He quickly stood and pretended to dust himself off. "Sorry, I'm just not in the mood for that at the moment." Blaze watched as he walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. It was clear Silver was still quite shaken from his encounter with his mother, and seeing him so unsettled only made Blaze determined to help him find himself again.

•~•

After getting dressed, Blaze walked down the hall and knocked on Amy and Shadow's cracked bedroom door. Hearing the soft knock, Amy looked up from her reading and smiled as she saw Blaze looking through the crack. "You can come in."

Smiling in return, Blaze entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her. "I was hoping I could ask a favor?"

Amy marked her page and placed her book down, giving the cat her full attention. "Of course, what do you need?"

Blaze rubbed her left arm awkwardly. "It's nothing too much, but I was wondering if I could possibly take Faith out with Silver and I this afternoon? You see, Silver still hasn't completely gotten back to his old self and I thought maybe spending some time with Faith like we'd done before, might trigger Silver back to his old self," she explained.

"Anything you think might help Silver's recovery, I'm up for. Besides, I know Faith adores her uncle and I don't think spending some extra time with him will hurt," she laughed light-heartedly.

"Oh, thank you, Amy. I promise to take good care of her as always."

Amy giggled. "I have no doubt you will."


	13. Where Nothing Stays Buried

AN: Once again, I'm so sorry for the slow updates. Working as a teacher takes a lot of time away to write. I've continued to edit on some upcoming chapters along with some new ones every now and then. I hope there are still people out there who are interested in reading this. I have to thank those that continue to leave me reviews and feedback-you know who you are!

•~•

Downstairs, Shadow hummed in a feigned upbeat tone as he unraveled his torture tools and devices from a purple silk pouch. Mighty struggled with his bound wrists chained up to the staircase railings as he watched his younger sibling.

"Do you think our mother is even the least bit concerned about your well-being?" Shadow eyed his weapons of choice, before coming to a sharp butcher-knife-like blade that he brandished.

Mighty eyed him carefully, acting stoic and unafraid. "She knows I don't need rescuing."

Shadow stared at him for a long moment before going back to searching for the right option. "I see," he said placing the knife back down.

Mighty smirked coyly. "You can toy with me all you want, Shadow, but you've had innumerable opportunities to kill me," he noted.

"But I didn't, did I?" Shadow approached him calmly. "Mephiles, I understand your devotion to her. I'm sure you flocked to her side once you were in purgatory together. _Always and forever_ , am I right?" he quoted.

Mighty tsked him. "Is this the extent of your argument, dear brother?"

Shadow frowned. "Is it not better to join me than spend the remainder of your mortal life aligned to a female who always manipulated you?" he countered. "I offer you the opportunity to free yourself. Side with me and I will give you the life she never once offered—a chance to choose your own path."

The witch hummed to himself in thought. "Hm, I'll give it some thought," he lied.

Shadow turned around, preparing to leave. "The choice is yours."

•~•

Meanwhile, in the Mystic Ruins, Sonic and Sally came running over to Caleb and screeched to a sudden halt. Caleb, in the meantime, shirtless and sweaty, hacked away at logs of wood. Andrew sat by the campfire eating a plate of food as he watched the three. "Hey Caleb, I think Sally and I found out a way to get your pack reunited!" Sonic exclaimed happily.

Caleb turned around finishing another round of chopping wood. "And what's that?" he asked in disinterest.

Sonic flipped to the page of the journal and cleared his throat. "The werewolves' power can be traced back to the myth of the _Unification Ceremony_ , a ritual that bestowed certain unique abilities onto every member of the pack," he quoted.

Caleb remained quiet as he stared blankly, making Sonic cock a brow by his lack of response. "So?" he shrugged.

Sally groaned and snatched the book from Sonic's hands out of frustration. "What he's trying to say is, back in the day, werewolf bloodlines were all distinct. Some had speed, some had strength, and some could sense enemies' miles away. Now, to evolve, we would have to perform a ritual. A shaman would marry the alphas of each bloodline and then the special abilities of each would be inherited—mystically by everyone who participated in the ritual," she elucidated.

Caleb used the back of his arm to wipe away some sweat from his brow. "That's all very interesting, but I don't have any unique abilities. I'm just your typical, average alpha," Caleb mumbled. "And Sally, you're no special werewolf that I know of," he reminded.

Sonic stepped closer and placed a hand on his own chest. "Yeah, but I have a unique ability—I'm a hybrid and can control when I change on a full moon. So, if this mystical marriage thing really works, you guys wouldn't be hybrids like me, you'd be werewolves that'd be able to control when you want to change on a full moon," Sonic explained.

"We'd be able to change without any moonlight rings…" Caleb said in realization before his brows furrowed at another thought. "But that would mean I would have to give up my leadership role and you would be taking my place as alpha. So hell no!"

Sonic jolted at his sudden outrage. "Listen, man, I'm not here trying to steal your people or take your job, but if this is what it takes to get your community back, then why not take it?"

Caleb stormed up to him, standing inches away from his face. "Because you murdered one of my people in cold blood and now you're with the girl I was supposed to wed. How could I ever trust you of all people, to lead my pack?" he shouted, shoving him backward.

"Caleb quit it!" Sally shouted.

Sonic staggered back slightly but kept his ground. "First of all, that wasn't the real me," he defended. "I swear to you, I'm not a bad person. I would never put anyone in danger and I'd always have the best intentions for them—and I had no idea Sally was betrothed to you. Please, if it makes you feel better, you could call all the shots and I could just be the puppet."

"—I think he's onto somethin', Caleb," Andrew piped in after overhearing their entire conversation. "Your people could ditch the rings and Gala-Na would no longer have control over them."

Caleb shot a bewildered look at the canine. "You can't be serious?"

Andrew rose to his feet and walked over in their direction. "This sounds like the answer, we've been looking for. Start up the party!"

"So that's it, you really just expect me to hand over the reigns of leadership over to this asshole?" Caleb gestured.

"I'll prove to you that I've changed," Sonic promised.

Caleb stared into Sonic's eyes as he contemplated the decision. Sighing, Caleb dropped his guard. "It's not just any party. If the vows aren't honored, it doesn't work," he specified. "It's gotta be a real marriage in every way for the rest of your lives."

Sonic smiled. "I understand that, but I love Sally," he admitted sincerely and took her hand in his. Sally blushed at his words. "—And this marriage would be completely genuine. I swear, I won't do you wrong."

He rolled his eyes. "You better not…"

•~•

Later that afternoon, in a local diner, Silver held Faith in his arms as he sunk down into a booth. The restaurant they had selected to eat at was fairly busy, with local customers scattered across the diner in various booths. In the back, two waitresses' tended to the customers, walking up and down the aisles pouring coffee and taking orders. A female raccoon waitress came over with a pot of fresh coffee and a friendly smile. "Hello, welcome to Ted's Diner, anything I can get for you three?"

"Just coffee for the two of us." Silver addressed.

The waitress reached for the two empty coffee mugs already laid out on the table and began to pour them up with fresh coffee. She filled Blaze's cup before moving onto Silver's, but as she poured the steaming hot coffee into Silver's mug, she couldn't help but smile at the infant he held in his arms. "What a little cutie!"

Silver gave a weak smile. "Yes, she's just four months old."

"She's adorable," she cooed. "If you want to order anything else, flag me down," she smiled before walking off.

"Thanks," Blaze smiled at the retreating waitress.

Silver held Faith out in front of him, admiring her smiling face. "Look at you," he spoke softly. "So big, so perfect."

Blaze smiled at Silver from across the table. It was sweet to see Silver adore his niece as much as he did. "She missed you when you were, uh—away."

Silver looked over at Blaze. "I worried for both your safety while I was gone."

Blaze cleared her throat hesitantly, as she tried to shift the conversation. "I know you haven't wanted to talk about what went on when your mother kidnapped you, but I am always here if you want to talk about it," she worded carefully. "You know I am a great listener."

There was a pause of silence for a moment as Silver kept his eyes on Faith while he cradled her. Blaze could see he was contemplating bringing up the past event, but eventually, his stance relaxed and he sighed. "…She tortured me for days with memories I had forgotten I buried a long time ago," he began.

Blaze leaned forward, curious to hear more. "…What kinds of memories?"

"Bleak ones, memories that showed me of the true monster I really am. All this time, I've believed myself to be this noble, dignified, and honorable gentleman, and yet, I've been living a lie," he explained.

Blaze shot him a compassionate look. "Silver, you're no monster. You're kind, sweet, caring, considerate-"

"—You're wrong," he abruptly cut off. Blaze looked surprised by his abrupt and dismissive tone. "That's just what I _wanted_ to be, what my mother molded my mind to believe I was. She's responsible for the false image I've been living all these years. It's all been a mask for my true monstrosity…"

Blaze was at a loss for words for a moment. Could this really be true? "How was she able to compress all these terrible memories for so long?"

Silver stared at his piping hot cup of coffee for a moment. "When I was a young boy, I witnessed a pig get slaughtered at our farm. We had a barn with a bright red door where it took place behind. Ever since then, I've always associated death with that door. Because of that, my mother created this section in my mind where I would store horrid acts that I committed."

"Then why would she make you feel so terrible about yourself by having you relieve these things, if she was the one that created it in the first place?" Blaze questioned.

"To prove her case," he answered simply. "She made an offer to make us all mortal again. She thinks by placing us in new bodies that we could reclaim some kind of _purity_."

"I know we've discussed this briefly, but how could you ever trust your mother with her word? After all, it was you who said that she couldn't be trusted," she reminded.

His eyes bore into hers. "Yes, I did say that once. But now, I must confess, this invitation, however cruel the delivery, has a certain kind of... _appeal_."

In that moment, something did not sit right with Blaze. Silver was not acting himself, and the way his eyes looked into hers for the first time, truly frightened her. Knowing she needed to get Faith away from him, she feigned a weak smile and grabbed the diaper bag sat next to her in the booth. "I think this little one needs her diaper changed." She maneuvered herself out of the booth and stood, slinging the bag over her shoulder. "I'll be right back."

Silver mimicked her actions and slowly stood, being careful as he held Faith in his arms. Once he was standing, he gently placed Faith into Blaze's arms and watched as she walked towards the girl's bathroom before re-taking his seat. But once Blaze had disappeared into the bathroom with Faith, Silver couldn't help but look around at the other diners. He caught a few of their glances, believing them to be judgmental as they looked in his direction.

Trying to ignore their innocent gazes, Silver stared down at his hand lying on the table, only to begin to hear the soft chatter of whispers. His eyes shot back up, and he looked around him seeing the diners, talking to one another, or eating their food. They didn't appear to be talking about him; yet, he believed he could hear their whispers conspiring against him. His fists tightened up, praying the voices he heard in his head would die down before he had to do something to stop it.

•~•

Back at home, Amy wandered downstairs to get something to eat and had no choice but to walk past Mephiles, still chained up to the wall. Trying to act composed and unnerved, Amy walked past him with her head held high. The warlock watched as she headed into the kitchen and listened to her rustle in the fridge. A few moments later, Amy wandered back out just when Mephiles caught her eye. "You played me for a fool the other night," he tsked, causing her to stop in her tracks. "You hurt me, Amy."

Amy stared at him and felt a little guilty for leading him on. "I don't like to play games like that, but it was all for good," she defended.

"You think remaining a vampire is good? Come now, the other night I don't think you were entirely acting during our conversations."

She froze from his accusation. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

He adjusted his arms in the chains. "There were moments in our conversation where I truly believe you dropped your act and were genuinely on board with meeting my mother."

She shook her head, denying his claim. "No, you're wrong. It was all a-an act."

His eyelids lowered seductively. "Don't lie to me. Even your tone right now suggests your lying to yourself. Now, if you help me out of these wretched chains, I'll make sure you get a good deal on a body of your choice, even though I think I've already selected the perfect fit for you."

She clasped her hands together nervously. "Well, I…"

"—Amy!" a voice snapped from behind. Amy gasped and turned around only to see Shadow making his way towards them. His eyes glared at his older brother. "You keep your mouth shut," he reprimanded.

"I was only making small talk," he lied in feigned innocence.

Shadow shot a hardened look at the armadillo. "If I hear you try to talk to her again, I'll sow your mouth shut," he threatened.

"Oooh, Mr. Tough Act is back," he sang with a chuckle.

"That's it!" he shouted. Shadow grabbed his cuffs, ripped him off the wall, and dragged him towards the staircase leading to the wine cellar.

Mighty resisted and struggled in his hold. "Release me!"

Seeing how serious he was, Amy followed after him. "Shadow, what are you doing?"

Downstairs, Shadow dragged Mighty by the chains towards a large and rustic looking casket. "Giving him a proper punishment," he hollered.

Just the sight of the casket got him in a tizzy. "Oh, no, no, you can't do this to me!" he bellowed.

Shadow smirked wickedly, as he lifted Mephiles up and slammed him back first into the casket. "I can, but don't worry, I made sure to leave some air holes." With that said, Shadow took the lid of the casket and slammed it shut, locking him inside.

Mighty screamed and pounded from the inside of the casket, begging to be let out. Listening to his muffled cries for help, Amy ran over to let him out, but Shadow grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away. "Don't!"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "This is cruel, Shadow. He doesn't deserve this."

"I've used this for centuries as a method of punishment, and right now he needs it," he argued.

Amy yanked her arm out of his hold. "And how has that worked out so far, huh? You don't always have to be so cruel to get what you want!" she huffed before running upstairs.

Shadow watched as she fled up the staircase. "Rose, wait!" Her response was a slammed door, making him cringe. "Damn it," he cursed.

•~•

At the werewolves' camp in the Mystic Ruins, Caleb and Andrew gathered the pack for a meeting. Dozens of werewolves of all ages sat around the campfire as they waited to hear what Caleb had to say. Caleb, Sonic, and Sally stood at the front, looking out at their audience. "I know you're angry and scared," Caleb began, "But we are a pack no matter what."

A male cat stood up from the back of the crowd. "You've been checked out for months. Why should we listen to you?" he challenged.

"Because he's the alpha," Sonic countered as he stood by Caleb's side defensively.

The cat gave a look of contempt towards the blue hedgehog. "Shut up, you have no say in this. You're not one of us."

Sonic wiped under his nose with his index finger. "No?" He took a few steps closer towards the crowd. "You sure about that, buddy?" He lifted his right hand out to its side and concentrated. His eyes illuminated a bright yellow hue and as if on cue, his right hand began to turn into a terrifying werewolf paw. The audience watched in amazement as the rest of his body remained in its natural form, but one portion of him took on its wolf form. Seeing that he had caught their attention, Sonic allowed his hand to revert back to normal. "I'm still a wolf and I don't need any magical rings to control when or how I change," he shrugged. Sonic walked back over to Caleb. "If you want the same, then sit down, keep quiet, and listen."

The cat in the back, meekly sat back down, making Caleb smile in approval. "Good job," he commended quietly.

Sonic nodded, before continuing his pitch. "Look, you all need help and you know it. Now, whatever it is that you think of me, I was born a werewolf and I happen to be an alpha myself." He turned to look at the dingo standing by his side. "Caleb is your current alpha, but that's all about to change."

The crowd of werewolves broke out into whispers and disoriented chit-chat as assumptions grew wild. "Quiet, quiet, let Sonic explain!" Sally pleaded.

The crowd chatter eventually died down again, allowing Sonic to continue. "I don't know how many of you grew up hearing about the Unification myth, but apparently, it happens to be true. Which means, if I get married to Sally, anyone with the guts to turn up to the ceremony, has as much control over their wolf form as I do. But you'll have to accept that I will become your new alpha."

"Our so-called queen left us years ago, why should we stand by her now when she didn't have the guts to stand by us before?" a wolf member challenged.

Sally directed her attention to the question. "You're right, I did abandon this pack. I've never quite felt like a leader ever in my life. I've always felt more like a follower than anything. But right now, there are two people that believe in me." She turned to look at both Sonic and Caleb. "With their optimism, it's giving me the strength to consider this role. I pledge that if given this role, I will not desert you like I did before. I will stand with you in hardship, I will stand with you in accomplishment, and I will stand with you in failure."

Caleb looked even more impressed by her speech. "Now, that's the talk of a leader," he whispered to her. Caleb stepped forward and placed a hand on Sonic's back. "Look, this ceremony will change everything for us. It'll give us the strength we need to defend ourselves and then and only then will we finally have peace."

Sally took center stage, standing before the pack. "The choice is yours. Keep the rings and be somebody's slave or be part of the greatest pack that ever lived."

Andrew rose from his seat and walked up to the three and smiled at their amazing pitch. He took his moonlight ring off his finger and dropped it to the floor, proclaiming his devotion towards the two new leaders. "I'm in." The rest of the group soon followed Andrew's action and lined up, taking off their moonlight rings.

Sonic glanced over to Sally, beaming at the sight. "We did it."

•~•

Back at the diner, Blaze emerged from the restroom with Faith after her diaper change. She had a plan but executing it could go horribly wrong if she missed a beat. Putting on a believable smile, Blaze ambled towards the booth where Silver patiently waited for her return, but as she passed a bunch of empty booths, she couldn't help but notice something odd by her surroundings. Trails of blood lead from one of the booths into the kitchen area. It was then she that she realized that the entire diner, once filled with happy customers was now completely empty. Food was still left piping hot on the tables, while other tables hadn't been bused at all. The waiting staff had seemed to have completely vanished.

With her curiosity getting the best of her, she quietly pushed open the swinging door leading into the kitchen, only to see multiple dead bodies piled and sprawled out across the counters, sink, and floor. Blood was everywhere—on the walls and puddled on the floor. Just from the look of the bodies, it appeared most of them were missing their hearts, as large holes were left in their chest, while other victims suffered a brutal decapitation. One of those victims was the friendly raccoon waitress that had been tending to them only a few minutes ago.

Blaze stifled a gasp and quickly backed out seeing the severity of the situation. If she was going to act on her plan, she needed to act quickly. She regained her composure and marched down towards her booth where Silver patiently sat, looking as pristine as ever in his appearance. She tried to act like she hadn't noticed the change in environment. "Well, she's all cleaned up and ready for her next adventure," Blaze announced acting oblivious. "Aren't you, little cutie?" Faith cooed and whined as Blaze placed her in her portable baby carrier.

"Wonderful, I've already picked up the tab anyway. The service here was not fantastic," Silver stood up and helped fasten her in. "You know, it's difficult to believe we were all this innocent once," he observed. His finger gently caressed one of her puffy cheeks, making her smile. "We mustn't let the world ever hurt her."

Blaze eyed Silver out of the corner of her eye, as he continued to look down and fawn at Faith. "You're right," she concurred, placing her hands on his shoulders. With speedy precision, Blaze lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. Silver's neck snapped violently to the side, and he dropped to the floor temporarily dead for the time being. "…We mustn't."

•~•

At home, Shadow sat in his study, still thinking about what Amy had said to him earlier. Perhaps she was right; maybe torture wasn't always the answer to getting what he wanted, but it was all he had known. Before he could think much more on the matter, his cell phone started ringing. Shadow reached over and grabbed it off the table, before looking at the screen and seeing that it was Blaze calling. He answered it and placed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Shadow, listen carefully," she started. "Something is wrong with your brother…"

"How so?" Shadow inquired, growing concerned in his tone.

"He slaughtered a dozen innocent people at the diner out of nowhere."

"Christ," he mumbled. "Are you okay, is Faith-"

"—Don't worry, we're both fine. He didn't touch either of us, but it all happened when I took Faith in the bathroom for a diaper change. It's just so strange, though. When have you known him to kill at random?" Blaze questioned.

He sighed on his end. "I worried about this. It appears my mother's torture must have affected him more deeply than I realized. Where is he now?"

Blaze looked over her shoulder at his still body, lying on the floor. "I broke his neck to keep us safe, but I-I have no clue what to do next."

Shadow thought for a moment before coming to a decision. "I'll be there in ten minutes, just make sure he stays knocked out cold. We'll get him back home and decide what to do with him then."

•~•


	14. The Plan

AN: Whoa, hey guys, long time no see. Sorry about the long period without an update, I've been busy teaching and have not had much time to edit/upload. Hope you guys are all doing well out there. As always, let me take time to thank my readers/reviewers: CrimsonDestroyer, risingzero1984, MissMJS, aliciathewolf45, and Janttun3n for leaving your reviews. Majorly appreciated! I have some exciting things for this story's future, time jumps, new enemies, etc. I just hope you guys will have patience as I continue writing. Enjoy the chapter!

•~•

An hour later, Shadow helped Blaze get Silver home safely. The feline came into Silver's bedroom with a glass of wine in hand now that he was home. As she looked around, she spotted Silver standing by their large bedroom window, staring out with his arms tucked behind his back. "Oh, you're awake," she smiled. She walked over to the coffee table and laid the glass down. "I thought you might like something to help you unwind."

Silver refrained from moving his position and instead kept his eyes straight ahead. "I appreciate the sentiment, Blaze, but I am aware when I'm being handled with delicacy."

Blaze swallowed uncomfortably hearing the disfavor in his tone. It was clear he was still upset with what happened at the diner. "Uh, how are you feeling?"

"Patronized," he replied flatly. "What I did back there was justified. It was to protect Faith, you, and myself."

She raised a brow, not buying his claim. "By killing all those innocent and random people? They were not a threat to us, Silver." She approached him cautiously. "Now, I know you meant well-"

"—Yet, you found it necessary to render me unconscious before bringing me home?" he snapped, finally turning around to face her.

She put her hands up defensively. "Silver, you weren't yourself and I needed to get us out of that diner. Someone could have seen the crime scene and we'd get into even more trouble," she defended. "But besides that, what happened back there anyway? What made it justified to slaughter all those diners?"

There was a pause as Silver reflected on her question. Why had he acted like that, back there? He truly didn't have a reason if he thought about it. "I…I don't know, but all I know is in that moment, those diners were a threat and I needed to take action. They were looking at me, at us, and they were whispering—so much whispering…"

Blaze's ears lowered sadly as the pieces started to come together. "Silver, I think you may be suffering from PTSD. Having to relieve all these locked away memories seems to have given you some trauma."

Silver scoffed at her diagnosis and walked away from her. "Blaze, don't even joke about something like that."

She turned around and watched him walk to another part of the room, feeling even more confident in her verdict. "You know…before I met you, I was studying psychology to become a therapist. I even researched and wrote a thesis on oppression of past trauma and how it can manifest into violent behavior. I've done plenty of research on studies and other cases."

Silver started pulling out books from one of the shelves in their room, idly glancing at them in hopes to ignore her. "Doesn't mean that you're correct in your analysis."

Blaze walked over and took a seat on the edge of their bed and continued to observe him. "Please, I just want you to open up and talk to me. I can only imagine what it's like when someone takes away your deepest, darkest, and ugliest pain without your consent. It must be both a blessed relief and a complete violation." Silver's expression sagged as her words hit the nail on the head. Seeing his demeanor change from her last statement, Blaze tilted her head. "Does that sound familiar to you?"

He placed the book he was holding back on the shelf. "Yes…"

"Would you like to talk more about it? You know I won't let anything said leave this room. Everything will remain confidential," she pledged.

Silver mulled over the idea for a moment before nodding in agreement. Blaze smiled by his approval. "So, let's go back to something you were telling me earlier. Let's talk more about this red door you referred to earlier. You said it was where you witnessed slaughter, is there any other significance?"

Silver took a position against one of the walls closest to her as he contemplated on how to elaborate on it. "Back in the day, there was this girl in my village that I fell in love with. In fact, she was my first love before I was turned. We were star-crossed lovers, unfortunately, so our encounters together were a challenge for us."

Blaze wasn't jealous in the slightest by his tale. Of course, Silver had fallen in love with other girls in his past, but she was interested to see how this story connected to the _red door_. "Go on."

"My first love told me she loved me near that door. We even shared our first kiss there, but sadly, it was also where I laid her body when I accidentally took her life." Blaze looked stunned by the reveal and found it hard to find the right words. Seeing her shocked expression, Silver continued his explanation. "It happened when I was still new to my vampirism. I was unable to control myself and I asked for my mother's assistance in cleaning up my mistakes…" Seeing her expression, Silver walked closer towards her. "Shadow is still unaware of this truth," he admitted quietly. "My brother was to wed that girl. She and I would hold secret rendezvous' to hold our affairs, but Shadow still believes that our mother killed her. Not only is this a lie but this is a lie of my creation and my brother does not forgive easily."

Blaze rose from her seat. "Silver, you know I won't tell him anything." She reached out and hugged him. "You can trust me."

Silver remained stiff in her embrace. "Thank you…"

She rubbed his back reassuringly. "You'll get through this and make progress, I promise."

•~•

Downstairs, in the dining room, Amy placed a platter of finger sandwiches and a pot of fresh tea down onto the table. As Amy finished making sure everything was in prim and proper condition, she frowned when she felt an unwanted presence looming behind her. "Do you need something?" she asked without bothering to turn around.

In the background, Shadow leaned against the entryway as he watched Amy put some plates down. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She continued her tasks not looking at him since she was still a little frustrated from earlier. "Setting up tea for Mephiles and myself," she answered as she smoothed out the tablecloth.

His eyes widened. "Are you insane? I'm not letting him anywhere near you."

"You've tried your methods, I think it's only fair I get my chance," she countered.

Shadow softened slightly. "Fair enough, what do you need me to do?"

"Bring your brother upstairs and have him sit down with me. I'll get information from him with a different approach."

"I'll do it, only if I can stay here, not to control you, but to protect you," he clarified.

Amy placed her hands on her hips. "He won't talk to me unless we're alone, besides, he's not here to pick a fight. He's here to talk. Now, help me bring him up here," she demanded.

•~•

A few moments later, Shadow and Amy wandered into the basement to retrieve Mephiles. As they walked down the stairs, more and more paranoia crept into Shadow's mind. What if Mephiles tried to hurt, brainwash, or even kill her? "You realize, I'm only doing this because it means something to you. But if he hurts you, I'll kill him," he warned.

Amy came down to the bottom and smiled at him for being so concerned for her wellbeing. "Shadow, I promise you, I will be fine."

Shadow sighed in defeat. "All right, let's get this over with." He walked over to the back wall where the coffin was laid up against vertically. Amy watched as he opened the coffin lid where Mighty practically crumbled to his knees if it wasn't for Shadow to catch his fall. Amy hustled over and carefully helped Shadow carry Mighty back upstairs and towards the dining room.

Once they were there, the two eased him down into one of the seats as he mumbled and looked around nearly spaced out. "What…what's happening?"

Amy placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I wanted to speak with you one on one," she smiled sweetly.

Mighty eyed his brother standing to his left. "And him?"

Shadow rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "I'll be outside." The warlock watched as his brother walked out of the room.

Knowing they were finally alone, Amy wandered over to her seat across from him and sat down. "Come on, eat," she advised, gesturing to the plentiful finger sandwiches. "You must be starving."

Mighty eyed the sandwiches for a moment, but leaned back in his chair, turning his nose up at it. "I will not be tempted by your beauty or blinded by your empathy."

Amy reached for the pot and poured herself a cup of tea. "You don't leave a girl much wiggle room, do you?"

He crossed his arms over his chest, to his best ability, despite still being chained by the magical handcuffs. "There is nothing you can say or do to appeal to me."

Amy took a sip of her tea, before placing it down into its saucer. "I would appeal to your morals but those appear to be all over the map."

He glared at her by her passive statement. "I'm not the one who abandoned her doting, longtime boyfriend, to run off with a psychopath hybrid who endangers her life with his dark history," Mighty noted, causing Amy to freeze up. Seeing he had hit a soft point, he chuckled lowly as an arrogant grin plastered his muzzle. "Your morality is a moving target, mine is not."

"Mephiles, I don't-"

"—Stop," he snapped. "You think you can persuade me with your kindness, your beauty, and your food, but I won't let you break me!" He stood from his seat, leaning across the table holding his chain slack out before her. "Once I get out of these chains I will do everything in my power to rid every vampire in the world. If you choose to not come to our side, I won't hesitate in taking you down either, wench," he leered.

Amy gulped nervously and watched as he slunk back down into his chair, clearly finished with having any further conversation. Amy cautiously stood from her seat, keeping her eyes locked on him. "Shadow!" she called.

In an instant, Shadow reappeared back inside the room. "Are you-"

"—Lock him back up," she ordered. "I'm done talking to him."

•~•

After her failed attempt to persuade him, Amy took a breather outside, only to spot Silver out in the backyard, piling up firewood. As she watched him gather wood and pile it accordingly, she couldn't help but notice he looked quite dazed and out of it as he chopped away.

The white hedgehog placed a log down onto a large pile and then stared at it longingly as his mind proceeded to plague him with awful past events. Memories of females he had killed in the past, rang in his memory, voices, screams, and begs of mercy all clouded his mind to the point that Silver had to shut his eyes and place a hand over his face. Amy came over after seeing his distress and softly cleared her throat to get his attention. Silver broke from his hauntings and turned to stare at her. "Oh, Amy, I didn't hear you sneak up on me."

"I didn't mean to," she apologized. "But what is it you see when you go away like that?"

His ears drooped, feeling embarrassed. "Things I've done and images of whom I was," he explained as he organized the pile. "It's a lovely gift from my mother. I can't turn it off, so I suppose it's her way of demonstrating I'd be better off taking her offer."

"You mean, to leave your body behind?" she surmised.

He nodded. "Yes, I know what my mother is capable of, but I do wonder if she would relent and leave us be if I took the deal. What if all she needs is _one_ victory?" he theorized.

Amy thought about what he had said and took it into consideration. Perhaps he was right, maybe it would take one small victory to lower Ivy's guard enough to strike. "Maybe you're right…"

"What am I right about?" Silver asked.

She tapped her chin. "I think I know how to take down your mother," Amy grinned.

•~•

Once finishing her discussion with Silver, Amy burst into Shadow's study with a plan in sight. Startled by her sudden entrance and confident smile, Shadow stood from his seat behind his desk and approached her. "What's going on?"

Amy crossed her arms over her chest and kept her head held high. "I've decided that I'm going to take your mother's deal!"

Right as the words left her mouth, Shadow's expression turned from intrigue to concern. "What the hell are you talking about?"

She walked further into the room. "It's simple, Shadow. I'm going to meet your mother and take her up on her offer to place me into a mortal body."

"Are you barking mad? What makes you think I'd let you go through with this ludicrous decision?!" he barked, making her flinch slightly.

Amy placed her hands up, trying to calm his anger. "Shadow, please-"

He shook his head. "Absolutely not, I forbid it!"

Just as things started to get heated, both Blaze and Silver entered the room after overhearing the commotion. "Um, is everything alright in here?" Blaze asked meekly.

"No, everything is not alright," Shadow growled irately. "Amy is trying to convince me to let her go through with my mother's offer."

Amy groaned in frustration. "—If you'd just let me explain!" she shouted, stomping her right foot.

Blaze raised a cocked brow. "Explain then."

Amy turned to Blaze. "I think the only way we can take down their mother is if we can make her believe that she persuaded one of us to her side."

"I see…and how exactly do you plan to stop her?" Blaze inquired curiously.

"First, we'll compel Mephiles to forget that we held him hostage and have him aid us in convincing your mother that I've turned to their side," she explained. "I'll tell her that I've had a falling out with Shadow and that I want to be mortal again. During the spell, she'll be distracted and vulnerable, which is when Shadow will strike!"

Shadow sighed. "That's a very lovely thought, Rose, but I think you're forgetting one very important detail. How the hell am I suppose to take my mother down?"

"Easy," she grinned. "You're going to kill her."

He looked at her dumbfounded. "…Amy if we kill her, she'll just jump into another body!"

"I realize that, but how do we know she'll be able to jump once she's been killed with vampire blood in her system?" Amy smiled slyly. Shadow went quiet as he processed the theory.

"…You're insane," Silver muttered.

"Hardly," she countered with a huff. "You were the one that gave me the idea for the plan in the first place," Amy reminded. "Anyway, I'm hopeful we'll get lucky and stop the spell before I jump."

Silver raised a brow. "Yes, but if we're wrong with your theory, you're no longer in your body."

She shrugged. "Would that be the worst thing? You were ready to do it yourself a few minutes ago," she gestured.

Blaze blinked in surprise by the allegation. "Silver, is this true?"

Silver bowed his head as all eyes locked on him for confirmation. "It was a foolish moment of weakness and hopelessness."

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest, still brooding over the idea. "I just don't think I can agree with risking such an experiment."

Amy reached for him with a soft smile. "Shadow, it'll work!"

Shadow flinched at her touch and glared in her direction. "And if we're not, you'll get what you always wanted," he passively noted. Amy shot him a glower that he continued off from. "That is what you're saying, aren't you? You're willing to lose!"

Her ears lowered submissively. "I am willing to risk losing, yes."

He walked closer and reached out, holding her face in his hands. "Rose," his voice softened. "We've only been in a relationship for a couple of months now. I-I don't want to lose all this progress we've made. I don't want to lose you."

She moved his hands away from her face gently and instead held them. "You're not going to lose me no matter what happens," she assured. "Even if I do end up in a mortal body, I'm not leaving you. I love you, Shadow. I'm not going anywhere," she promised.

Blaze stepped forward, feeling her confidence build. "If Amy is willing to give this a shot. I'm willing to help out where I can."

"I think this is an insane plan, but I'm out for some revenge myself with mother dearest," Silver grumbled. "I'm in."

Amy looked up at Shadow with pleading eyes. "What about you, Shadow?"

He squeezed her hands softly as he contemplated the idea. "I'm putting a lot of my trust in you. Don't make me regret agreeing to this…"

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "You won't. Now, let's start phase one of the plan."

•~•

Downstairs, Shadow re-opened the casket finding the armadillo looking quite irritated. "What the bloody hell do you want now?"

"There's been a change of plans," Shadow answered, gripping him by the collar and yanking him out. Mighty gasped as he was drawn out of his prison and held before his brother.

"What…have you found me of no use?"

"On the contrary, we've actually discovered the perfect use for you," he hinted as his eyes began to dilate. Realizing what he was about to commit, Mighty tried to look away but found himself unable to pull his gaze away. "You are going to take Amy to Mother and convince her that you were able to persuade Amy to take up her offer. If our mother questions where you have been for the past two days, you will tell her that you took that amount of time to manipulate Amy to your side. Do you understand?" he finished.

Mighty's eyes remained in a lucid state before he bobbed his head up and down, complying with his mission.

Shadow looked over to Amy and gave her a simple nod. Step one was complete and now it was time for phase two.

•~•

In the car, Shadow sat in the driver's seat, while Amy sat in the passenger's seat. Mighty sat in the back of the car, still under compulsion as they drove to their destination in the city. During the quiet drive, Shadow glanced to his right as Amy stared out her car window into the dark night. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Amy turned away from looking out the window to look at him. "Yes, but if it doesn't go to plan, will you handle my body with care, please? I may miss the old model," she joked lightly.

Unfortunately, Shadow didn't see the quip to be funny at all. "I won't need to because if everything goes south, I'll be there to pull you out," he pledged. "We just have to take my mother down before she body jumps. I don't want all of this to have been for nothing."

"…Are you scared?"

"Terrified," he replied, taking another quick glance at her.

She rested her hand on the armrest by his side. "Like you said, you're going to have to trust me."

Shadow laid his right hand and rested it on top of hers reassuringly. "I do," he replied.

•~•

Once they got into the city, Shadow hopped out of the driver's side of the car and walked over and opened the passenger door, allowing Amy out of the vehicle. Afterwards, Amy watched as he opened up Mighty's door allowing his brother out. Still completely under Shadow's control, Mighty stood there with a blank expression waiting for further instructions. Shadow turned to look at Amy and sighed. "You ready for this?"

She nodded with confidence. "Yes."

"Before you get going, there's just one more thing."

Amy faltered slightly. "What?"

Shadow reached for her and wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her in for one long passionate smooch. Amy kissed him back, moaning slightly from the passion before he pulled away. She stared at him, feeling a blush form on her cheeks. "Good luck," he said as he stuck his hands in his jacket pockets.

Amy backed away and reached for Mighty's hand, taking it in hers. "Thanks…" She looked at the compelled witch. "C'mon, let's go."

•~•

In one of the mausoleums, Gala-Na swept the floors of her new home with a broom, but just as she bent down to collect the dust in her dustpan, she spotted Mighty and Amy walk in. "Well, what do we have here?"

"I brought you a new friend," the armadillo smirked. "My apologies for not remaining in contact with you for the past few days, I've been busy talking with this one," he said gesturing to Amy.

Gala-Na leaned her broomstick against one of the walls. "When I didn't hear from you for awhile, I thought you might be in trouble. I was getting ready to send help."

He shook his head, still under the compulsion. "No, no trouble. It's just a bit difficult to do my work when you're calling mother all the time."

Amy played up her fake nervous demeanor, as she rubbed her left arm uncomfortably. "Um, Mephiles said you could help me?"

Gala-Na smiled, showing a hint of darkness. "For the body swap spell?"

She nodded, walking further into the room. "Yes, that is, if the offer still stands?"

Gala-Na opened her arms, beckoning for her to come. "Of course, my dear, now, come give me a nice hug."

•~•

At that same time, back at the estate, both Blaze and Silver were prepping to block the spell that was to take place. In the dining room, Silver finished lighting all the candles around the room before blowing out his match. He turned and watched as Blaze brought in an antique looking hourglass and set it down in the middle of the table. "What is that for?"

"This hourglass will be linked to your mother's spell, mirroring hers. When the sand finishes falling, Ivy will try to jump Amy's body into its new host. That's when I'll re-direct the spell from Amy and stop it from taking place. My spell is meant to jam the signal long enough to keep that kind of magic from working."

" _If_ it works," Silver noted with skepticism.

"It'll work," Blaze spoke confidently. "When Shadow attacks, Ivy won't be able to jump Amy into anyone or herself anywhere else."

•~•

Meanwhile, at the cemetery, Gala-Na rummaged through her refrigerator, while Amy and Mighty sat at the table. "Amy, is there anything you'd like to drink before we get started?"

She rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, some red wine would be nice?"

Gala-Na nodded. "Of course, I think I have a bottle in the back."

Mighty in the meantime, wandered over to a cabinet and pulled out three wine glasses and brought them over to their small dining table and set them down.

"So," Amy hummed. "How do you intend to turn the rest of your family? I've tried my best to convince Shadow, but he does not want to hear anything of it."

Gala-Na wandered back over with the bottle of wine in hand. "Don't worry, I believe once we're finished getting you into your new body, it'll be no time before Shadow is begging for me to help him be by your side." She poured them all a glass. "He's in love with you after all, and he likes to feel in control. As for Silver, I think it's only a matter of days."

Amy accepted the glass of wine from her. "I don't like arguing with Shadow, but if this is what it takes to get him to join me for a mortal existence, then so be it."

"You won't regret it," Mighty said before taking a sip of his own wine.

"He's right, you won't," she concurred, before handing Mighty the bottle of wine. "Put this back in the fridge, would you?" Mighty nodded, taking the bottle and walking off. Right as the two of them looked away, Amy pricked her thumb with one of her canines and squeezed a few drops of her blood into Gala-Na's glass of wine while she wasn't looking.

Once Mighty came back over to join the two, Gala-Na smirked in content and raised her glass of wine. Mighty and Amy mimicked her actions, raising their own glasses. "Then let us begin." The three clinked their glasses and drank in cheers.

•~•


	15. The Devil is Damned

**AN** : Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy Holidays everyone! I'm back at it again, with another chapter that I hope you'll all enjoy! Once again, I gotta thank my reviewers: CrimsonDestroyer, MissMJS, risingzero1984, aliciathewolf45, and Janttun3n! It's always nice to see those that leave me feedback on my stories. Love it!

•~•

Back at the house, Blaze and Silver gathered around the dining room table, waiting to start the spell. Silver sat on one side of the table, idly watching the hourglass, while Blaze sat on the other side doing the same. Breaking them from their silence, Silver's phone started buzzing in his coat pocket. He pulled it out and saw the caller I.D read: Shadow. Answering the call, he laid it down on the table and put it on speaker. "Hello?"

"I dropped Amy off near the cemetery with Mephiles about ten minutes ago. I'm taking my position as we speak, but are you two prepared?" he asked on the other end.

"We're all ready to go, Shadow," Blaze confirmed.

"Excellent, keep me posted via text if there are any complications." With that said, the ebony hedgehog hung up his phone call, leaving the two to wait for their part.

Then as if on cue, the hourglass magically tipped, turning upside and began to allow the sand to descend. Right then, Blaze knew that Gala-Na must have started her spell to swap Amy's body. "It's working," Blaze smiled.

•~•

At that same time, back at the cemetery, Amy stood outside in the graveyard, while Mighty and Gala-Na stood at an altar, setting up lit candles around them. Various items such as a bowl of blood, and some braided herbs laid out on their surface table.

Amy stood on the floor below in the center of a chalk-drawn spell circle. She gulped nervously, feeling the pressure start to build. Suddenly, Gala-Na laid a white oak stake on their surface, making Amy begin to wonder what she had in store for the magical item. "Wait a second, where did you get that?"

"Oh, this?" Gala-Na smiled innocently, holding up the stake. "I've had it with me since I returned to the living. I brought one back with me from the other side," she explained.

"What do you plan to do with it?" Amy questioned.

"As my sons come to their senses and take my offer, I will destroy their vampire bodies with this, freeing the world of their evil."

Amy's eyes widened as she saw the severity of the plan. "Wait, destroy their bodies? But that means that any vampire that is in their sire line will be killed in the process, completely wiping out generations of vampires."

Mephiles nodded. "Which is exactly what we want."

Gala-Na clasped her hands together. "Having brought this evil into the world, then having subjected my own children to it, I think this is the best option to redeem it."

"No, please, you can't do this. My ex-boyfriend happens to be half vampire and was sired by Shadow. Even Faith is part vampire and comes from Shadow's lineage. You can't let them die!" Amy screamed. "Please, stop the spell!"

Gala-Na strutted down the steps of the altar, chuckling in amusement. "The spell is already done, Amy. I prepared it to be locked in the moment I turned over the hourglass."

"What happened to helping Faith craft her skill in witchcraft?" she countered. "I thought you said Faith was no longer a threat?"

"I lied, I've seen glimpses of the future and as long as she lives, this world is doomed if she continues to exist. Her power can systematically destroy mankind if it falls into the wrong hands," Gala-Na proclaimed. "It will happen unless I put an end to this family."

Amy shook her head, suddenly growing very frightened by the notion. "No, please you can't do this. She's just a baby."

Gala-Na stopped just in front of the spell circle. "Do not fret, your beautiful soul will live on in the body of another. Mephiles has chosen well for you—a beautiful, strong girl, who I think you'll find yourself quite happy with. You and Shadow can produce another child, a mortal child free of threats and enemies."

Amy tried to move out of the circle but found that she was trapped within its boundaries from an unseen force that prevented her from leaving. "What's happening? Why can't I get out?"

"The spell circle keeps you contained for the duration of the spell. No one can leave or enter it until it's complete," Mighty answered with a sinister grin.

Amy's eyes began to tear up, realizing her plan had gone awry. "No, wait, I don't want to do this anymore."

"—Mother!" another voice shouted.

All eyes looked back, only to see Shadow standing on top of one of the mausoleums looking down at them. He leaped down, landing firmly on his feet below before striding towards the group. "Stop the spell," he demanded. "You and your traitorous son cannot go through with this."

Gala-Na smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest smugly. "I'm afraid that's impossible, Shadow."

"Anything is possible," he countered. "Let her go and take me instead!" he bargained.

Amy shook her head; feeling tears run down her face. "Shadow, don't!"

Gala-Na chuckled at his mercy. "If only you'd taken my offer when I first asked. You'll have to wait your turn now."

Amy glanced over towards the altar, seeing that it would only be a matter of seconds before all the sand had gone out. She looked back over to Shadow, seeing that his chance to strike was slipping away. "Shadow, you have to do it now." Gala-Na and Mighty exchanged looks, uncertain on what their conversation was about.

Shadow looked conflicted as he stared at her. "But what about-"

"—Do it now!" she screamed.

Obeying her commands, Shadow used his vampire agility and stabbed his mother in the side of the neck with a knife. Mighty watched in slow motion, as his Mother looked paralyzed with the knife plunged into the side of her neck. It had all happened so fast, that Mighty felt he hadn't been able to react in time. "Noo!" he bellowed.

Gala-Na dropped dead and Shadow backed away from the crime just as the spell began to kick into action. In the meantime, Mighty rushed over to his mother's side, trying to stop the bleeding, while Amy froze in place and shut her eyes tight. The spell circle she was encased in, turned bright green and slowly began to shrink in on itself towards her.

•~•

Back at home, Blaze kept her hands lifted in front of her as she kept her eyes closed and concentrated on blocking the spell from taking place. Silver stood on the other side of the table, anxiously watching her work her magic. She chanted in her ancient tongue dialect, using all her energy to work her powers. The flames of the candles started to get brighter with the more she chanted, making Silver start to grow apprehensive.

•~•

At the cemetery, Shadow rushed over to Amy and tried to break though the circle to grab her, but was violently thrown backward by the spell's power, making him collide into one of the building's walls nearby. He grunted from impact before landing face first onto the floor. Gathering his bearings, he lifted himself slightly only to see Amy staring at him with tears streaking down her face. She gave him a weak smile for his efforts. "I'll be okay, Shadow."

Shadow stared back at her, feeling completely helpless as the spell circle encased itself around her body. "No!"

•~•

At the house, Silver's concern grew when he noticed their hourglass begin to shake and rattle on the table surface. Feeling something climatic was about to occur, he quickly intervened and shoved Blaze to the floor, shielding her just in time as the hourglass combusted in a magnificent display. Glass and sand flew in all directions and the candles extinguished around them in unison.

Once the noise had settled, Silver lifted himself from on top of her. "Blaze, are you okay?"

"I think so," she mumbled.

He glanced down at her. "Did it work?"

Blaze sat upright and rubbed the side of her head, feeling shaken from the unexpected occurrence. "I-I have no idea."

•~•

At the graveyard, the circle finally dissipated and Amy's eyes closed and she collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious. Seeing her collapse, Shadow quickly got to his feet and rushed over to her body sprawled out on the ground. He lifted her into his arms. "Rose, Rose?" he spoke, trying to wake her, but she stayed unresponsive.

In the background, Mighty cackled in content, making Shadow glare in his direction. The black and red armadillo stopped in front of them. "You may have killed our mother, but she'll be back in another body. Sadly, Amy's gone now," he jeered.

Shadow lowered Amy back onto the floor as he stood to face his brother. "You think you've won, but you have a large surprise ahead of you. Too bad…you know me, I hate to spoil surprises," he said before he zipped over and punched him the face, knocking him unconscious.

•~•

Later, Shadow brought Amy's body back to the house and lowered it onto the sofa in the living room. "Shadow, what happened?" Blaze said as she rushed into the living room. Silver followed closely behind, eager to see how their plan had gone.

Shadow stared down at Amy, feeling like a complete failure. "I couldn't stop the spell in time."

There was silence as everyone mulled over the moment until Silver piped up. "At least tell me that our mother is dead," Silver pleaded, hoping to hear some good news.

Shadow glanced away. "She is for now."

•~•

A bit later, in a cold and dark cellar, Gala-Na started to stir from unconsciousness. She groggily, moaned as she moved her arms, but when she opened her eyes, Shadow stood at the bottom of the staircase. "Hello, Mother."

She shifted on the floor, feeling quite dizzy and disoriented. "What happened to me?" she asked weakly.

His red eyes remained hardened on her. "I ask my questions first, then you get your answers," he snapped. "Now, where is Amy?"

Gala-Na rubbed the back of her neck, feeling sore. "She's more than likely in her new body. The one that Mephiles chose for her," she answered.

"And how exactly am I suppose to find her?"

"She'll come to you once she wakes in her new body," she answered.

Shadow pondered over her given answer, before giving in. "I see…" His hand reached into a food cooler by his feet and he pulled something out before tossing it in her direction.

Hearing a plop to her left, her eyes looked from her son down to the item he had tossed to her. She gasped as she stared at a blood bag lying before her. Feeling an ominous tone arise, her eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "What have you done?"

He smirked wickedly. "I've done what every good son does, mother. I've followed the example of my parents. You taught me exactly how I should treat you." Gala-Na sat upright, placing a hand on her chest, feeling the dried blood from when Shadow had stabbed her in the neck. She felt her fingers twitch uncontrollably and felt panic set in. Shadow chuckled lowly, knowing exactly what was occurring to her in that moment. "You must be feeling a little twitchy right about now. That's what happens when you're in _transition_."

She glared at him in disbelief. "No, that's not possible," she growled.

He leaned one of his arms coolly on the staircase railing. "Oh, but it is. You see, you may have thought you were one step ahead of us, but the truth is, Amy was two steps ahead of you," he pointed.

Gala-Na stared down at the floor, trying to recall when she had unknowingly ingested vampire blood. She thought back hard to her interactions with Amy until a certain memory came across. Her eyes widened in realization. "She put it in my wine…"

Shadow nodded. "That's correct, you died with vampire blood in your system. It's a delicious irony because as you know, you cannot be both a witch and a vampire. Unless you happened to be a freak like Mephiles, who was gifted with both vampirism and witchcraft."

Gala-Na's mouth gaped before she began to hyperventilate. "No, no…"

"Don't fret, Mother, now you get a taste of what it's like," Shadow laughed in delight. "Oh, and don't think you can run off to find Mephiles. I had Blaze put a trap spell in the basement you'll now be residing in. He has no idea that I took you away to that old abandoned and burnt down house we visited a few days ago," he chuckled darkly.

"What am I suppose to do then?" she growled.

"Now you can decide to either be the thing you hate the most or be dead." Shadow began to turn to head upstairs but stopped just short to look back at her over his shoulder. "Your choice, which is more than you ever gave us."

Feeling her eyes well up with tears, Gala-Na sobbed as she reached out and clutched for the blood bag, debating over her choice.

•~•

Later that night, in the depths of the city, a male nurse walked down the street before entering a building that read: Station Square Mental Institute. Inside the facility, the echoes of cries and muffled screams penetrated through the main hall. Both male and female nurses flocked down different halls—some checking in on their patients, while others made sure the patients were securely locked in for the night. Unfortunately, in one of those locked rooms was a young pink hedgehog very similar looking in appearance to Amy Rose.

The unknown female, laid on her back in bed, completely unresponsive, until she inhaled a sudden gasp of air, rising upright as if she had just been reborn. Jolted by her sudden awakening, the pink hedgehog panted as she took in her unfamiliar surroundings. Once she had caught her breath, she swept her legs off the side of her bed and began to wander around her small room, trying to determine her whereabouts. She stared at the sink, toilet sectioned off with a mere curtain, as well as a faux mirror that gave off somewhat of a reflection. As she encroached closer towards her reflection, her expression turned to confusion by what she saw. The reflection she stared back at was of someone she did not at all recognize at all.

Feeling her mouth gape at the sight, she touched at her face and her quills, in disbelief with what she was really seeing. It was strange that the girl she was staring back at looked similar to her, but instead of sporting her shorter shoulder length quills, she now adorned three large jagged quills indistinguishable to Sonic's. Her fur was still pink and her eyes were also still green, but who the hell was this person? Growing panicked, she rushed to the door and jiggled the handle but found it to be locked. She banged on her door profusely, now that he was starting to feel claustrophobic. "Excuse me! Someone, anyone, please let me out!" she hollered.


	16. Swapped

**AN:** Whoo, so sorry for the long delay in updating. I've been crazy busy ever since returning to school from the Christmas break. Normally, I'd update more on the weekends, but I find myself swamped with lesson planning and other BS. Thank you again, to those that continue to leave me feedback, theories, and their reviews on my chapters. I know I sound like a broken record, but I really appreciated.

•~•

The next morning, Sally and Sonic arrived at Shadow's estate to share their good news and update them on the pack. Sonic knocked on the door, waiting for a response until eventually, Blaze opened the door for them. Looking sullen in appearance, she returned a weak smile towards their elated ones. "Oh, Sonic, Sally, please come in."

Realizing something was up; the couple entered the home and was immediately met with a dour atmosphere. As the two headed for the living room, they spotted Shadow, who also looked down in the dumps. The ebony hedgehog sat on the couch bottle-feeding Faith. In one of the far corners, Silver stood by the window, looking out in longingly. Blaze took her seat by Shadow, while Sally and Sonic stood before the group. "Hey, Shadow," Sonic waved, before his eyes set on the infant in his arms. His mouth turned into an even brighter smile. "Is this Faith?"

Shadow took the now empty bottle out of her mouth and nodded. "Yes, this is her, she's growing up fast."

The two walked closer to get a better look and Sally smiled down at the baby. "My goodness, she's absolutely adorable!"

"Mind if I hold her, Shads?" Sonic asked shyly.

"Of course." He handed her over to his blue rival and Faith cooed in Sonic's arms before giving out one large belch.

Sonic and Sally laughed in unison by the noise, making the baby giggle with them. He stroked her cheek with his index finger in admiration and in return she reached for his nose, grabbing it gently. Sonic laughed at her curiosity. "Aw, she's precious, but I can't help but notice Amy's not around," he noted looking around the silent room. Silver, Blaze, and Shadow didn't seem to share their upbeat mood but instead held surly expressions. "Where is she, upstairs taking a shower or something?"

Reluctantly, Shadow rose to his feet. "About that…"

Sonic's expression grew chary just from the mood. "I don't like that tone. What's going on?" he questioned, showing a solicitous expression.

Shadow laid the empty baby bottle on the coffee table. "Last night, Amy concocted a plan for us to make a strike against our mother. She volunteered herself as bait and things didn't exactly go to plan," he began to explain.

Sonic grew distraught as all the possibilities in the world flocked to his mind. "Jesus, Shadow…what happened to her?"

"She's swapped bodies with a mortal and I haven't been able to locate her."

"Why haven't you been out looking for her?" Sonic questioned with urgency. "She could need help!"

"I would be looking for her if I even knew where to start! My mother has no information regarding the body she placed Amy's soul into. Apparently, my brother was responsible for picking out the bodies to prepare for body jumps. Unfortunately, he's now vanished without a trace and he's the only one with the information on finding her."

"Where's her real body now?" Sonic asked.

He beckoned for them to follow. "I'll show you."

•~•

Downstairs, in the wine cellar, Sonic, Shadow, and Sally stood before an open casket, where Amy's original body was now laid to rest. As the three stared down at her, Sonic felt his fists clench by his side. "What if something terrible has already happened to her and we just don't know it yet?" Sonic speculated.

"That's why I'm going to hunt down Mephiles and get some answers," Shadow replied. "He's out there somewhere and I'm going to find him."

"And you're sure you don't need any of our help?"

"I should have it covered, but what about you two? What's been going on with the pack?" Shadow questioned.

"That's why we came over here in the first place," Sally interjected. "Sonic and I have found a loophole in your brother's control over the wolves."

Shadow raised a brow, as his interest peaked. "What exactly?"

"Because Sonic is a hybrid, if he marries the female alpha from the pack, all of his abilities will be transferred to the other pack members. Caleb has already agreed to turn down his title as alpha in order for Sonic to become the new one," Sally explained. "And it just so happens that I once belonged to that pack before I went rogue, but in order to bring unity back, I have pledged to marry Sonic."

"Wait, so you're the female alpha?" Sally nodded meekly, and Shadow looked surprised by the large amount of information. "Fascinating, but I assume there will be more required to officiate this marriage?"

"There is," Sonic concurred. "There are a few rituals and tasks we have to do to make sure the marriage is official, but it's going to take some time to get everything done."

"Then it's settled, I'll work on finding Amy while the two of you finish your ceremonial rituals. The sooner we take away Mephiles' control over the wolves, the better."

•~•

Speaking of Mephiles, the warlock had stumbled across an abandoned and decrepit old house tucked away on the outskirts of the city. It had taken him some time, but after whipping up a hefty location spell, he had found himself at this location. As he walked into the home, he checked, rooms, making sure to do a full sweep of his mother's body. Eventually, he came to one last room in the house: the basement.

Mighty walked down the stairs and looked relieved when he saw his mother sat in the far corner of the cellar. Rushing over, he embraced her; happy to see she wasn't harmed. "Mother, I thought for sure I'd find you dead."

She pulled away from his embrace. "I wish I was dead," she replied weakly.

Mighty shot her an incredulous look at her comment. "Why would you say such a thing?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter…How did you manage to find me, anyway?"

Mighty helped lift her to her feet. "I used a locator spell." The two started walking towards the staircase together, "But there's still one thing that perplexes me. I saw Shadow kill you with my own eyes, how are you still in your old body?" he asked just as his foot crunched onto something.

Gala-Na watched as he bent down and lifted up the object that he had stepped on. Mighty flipped the hard plastic bag overseeing it was an empty blood bag. His eyes lifted towards her in disappointment quickly realizing his question had evidently been answered. "You're a..."

"Yes," she answered. "Amy managed to somehow slip some of her blood into my wine." Gala-Na stepped back reluctantly. "I'm sorry, it's just…I was so hungry."

Keeping his hardened expression, Mighty violently tossed the blood bag to the side as he marched towards her. "You are such a hypocrite!" he bellowed. "You speak of purification—of cleansing the souls of our family, and yet, you caved into temptation rather than standing with your principles," he pointed accusingly. Gala-Na bowed her head in shame, cowering before her son. "It was your morality, mother, your conviction that awed me." He reached out and grabbed her by the throat, shoving her up against the wall.

Gala-Na whimpered slightly as she stared back into his eyes. "Please."

"I would have done anything for you. But I know that _she_ would want for me to finish what we started." A sinister thought crossed his mind, forcing a wicked smirk to cross his lips. "I think I can find another use for you now…"

She watched as he raised his other hand, ready to conduct a wicked spell on her. "No, no!" she cried out.

•~•

At the mental hospital, Amy was in the middle of dealing with her own conflict as two male nurses, a pig, and a gorilla, desperately tried to strap her down to her bed. She thrashed about, kicking her legs and trying to move her arms, as the two males held her upper body down, managing to strap one of her wrists down to the bed. "Get off of me, get off!" she screamed.

"Calm down, Rosy!" the pig shouted, while the other proceeded to get her second wrist bound to the bed frame.

Her eyes widened in surprise by the foreign name and she stopped her struggle momentarily. "What'd you call me?"

"Rosy," he repeated.

"No, you don't understand. I'm not Rosy, my name is Amy Rose!" she proclaimed.

The two nurses finished strapping her legs down, ignoring her pleas. The male gorilla dusted off his hands. "Sounds like someone needs more medication…"

She watched as the male pig reached into his pocket and pulled out a small paper cup containing a couple of pills. Imagining the hazards of what those pills were capable of doing to her mind and body, only caused her to panic more. "No, please, you can't do this to me!" she begged.

"Enough!" the gorilla nurse barked.

"Help me get her to take these." The gorilla walked over and held her jaw, opening it slightly. She struggled to keep her mouth closed, but the pills were tossed in before she could interject. After a few minutes, the two nurses held her mouth closed, forcing her to swallow them or allow them to dissolve. Suddenly, her eyes began to grow heavy and her strive to fight back dimmed before she closed her eyes completely.

Seeing they had subdued her, the two nurses unstrapped her and left the room, closing the door behind them.

•~•

Once Sonic and Sally left Shadow's estate, the two headed to the Mystic Ruins to continue preparing for the rituals. After parking his car, Sonic tossed his car door shut, while Sally patiently waited for him on the other side. "So you ready to do this? You know, get hitched?" he cracked with a charming grin.

She laughed softly. "It's more than just that, Sonic. It's a mystical unification ceremony and unlike mortal marriages where we can get divorced if things don't work out, this one is permanent. Which means we have to be together forever in order to transfer your powers to the rest of the pack."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Heck, I realize that Sal. I know we've only been dating for a couple of months, but in that short amount of time, I feel like we've really connected. Every moment that I spend with you, every single thing that I learn more about you, just makes me love you even more."

Sally stared at him, completely taken aback by how romantic and sincere he had just been. "I feel the same way, Sonic."

•~•

A little bit later, after her medication was given, Rosy stirred from her stupor and sat up in bed. She looked to her bedroom door, noticing it was wide open, as a young familiar looking pink echidna stood in the doorway, staring back at her shyly. Rosy stared back, blinking a few times. "Um, don't I know you from somewhere?"

The girl nodded meekly before she took a few steps into her room. "Yes, my name is Aurora."

The name bounced around in her mind as she tried to pin down her familiarity. "That name is not ringing a bell. How do you know me exactly?" she questioned.

The female echidna wrapped her arms around herself awkwardly. "I heard you shouting it from the hall ten minutes ago. You're Amy Rose, the hybrid's significant other."

The pink hedgehog stood from her bed and walked towards her, staring her in the eye. "The medical team don't believe me, yet, you do…why?"

"I happen to know a little bit about people jumping into other people's bodies. After all, I was Ivy's first host that she occupied," Aurora answered.

Rosy blinked a few times as she recollected the time. "Oh, my gosh, that's right, I remember now. But how long have you been here?"

"A month," she replied solemnly.

Rosy stuck her head outside her bedroom door for a moment, making sure no one was eavesdropping before looking back at Aurora. "So, how do we get out of this place?" Aurora bit her lower lip reluctantly making Rosy raise a curious brow by her reaction. "Well?"

Aurora bowed her head sadly. "You can't break out. Once you're in, there's no leaving this place."

Rosy shook her head in denial. "That can't be true. Surely someone has gotten out of here before."

"You're right, people have gotten out before, but not alive," she noted gravely.

•~•

At Shadow's estate, Shadow and Silver patiently waited off to the side, as they watched Blaze draw a chalk spell circle out on their driveway. Blaze knelt on the floor, with a piece of chalk in hand and continued to draw intricate symbols inside the circle. Growing impatient, Shadow paced back and forth behind her, feeling anxious as time ticked on. Blaze had attempted to use a location spell to locate Mephiles, but for some reason they were unable to locate him, making her believe he was using some sort of cloaking spell to conceal his whereabouts. Because of that, Blaze would have to use a different tactic into locating him, but it was going to need more power.

While she worked diligently, Silver leaned against the garage door with his arms crossed and his eyes closed in deep meditation. Seeing how slow Blaze was going with her drawings made Shadow groan in frustration. "No offense, Blaze, but this seems to be taking a lot longer than I thought it would," Shadow complained.

Blaze's ears perked and she shot him a piqued glare over her shoulder. "Excuse me, but Mephiles is blocking my locator spell, so I'm trying something new that I need to concentrate on. It won't exactly work if I rush it," she countered. "Also, it would help a lot if you weren't hovering over me like a hawk! You're making me nervous."

"No need to be testy, sweetheart," Silver mumbled as he stayed in his position with his eyes closed.

"Me?" she repeated in astonishment. "What about him," she pointed towards Shadow. "He's the one getting snappy."

Silver sighed and finally opened his eyes. "Look, getting irritated at one another is not going to help us solve our problems. So everyone just take a deep breath and make up."

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest, before sagging slightly. Silver was right, yelling and bickering wouldn't help find Amy any quicker. He glanced over at the purple feline, who was now in the process of lighting several candles. "Blaze…I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm just worried about, Amy."

Blaze placed one of the lit candles down at a certain point of the circle, before looking back at him. "I accept your apology, Shadow. I can attest to the emotions you are currently feeling. After all, I felt the same things you're feeling now when I was worried about Silver," she spoke, looking over to her own fiancé.

Shadow nodded. "So…how much longer?"

"It's ready now," she replied. Blaze sat outside the circle and stuck her hands out over the circle as she closed her eyes. Shadow and Silver watched as she began to mutter an incantation. As Blaze felt the spell work, in her own mind she saw flash images of Mighty in an unknown location doing a spell of his own.

In the flashes, she could see Mighty standing at a table with a large bowl of blood set out before him. As the armadillo stood there, he wafted smoke away from a blown out candle, with a long brown feather. On his work surface was a wolf's tail, a boar's foot, and a pair of antlers. Blaze's eyes shot open with this new information. "I-I saw glimpses of him."

"What is he doing?" Silver asked.

"He's combining sacred objects, you know, totems. Though, I'm not sure why…"

"How is able to conceal his location?" Silver inquired.

Blaze closed her eyes again, focusing on her magic. Once again she saw flashes where she could lurk around Mighty's location. In the far corner of the room, she saw a body lying on it's back in a spell circle. As she got a closer look, she realized whom it was. Opening her eyes, Blaze frowned at her discovery. "…He's channeling your mother's body for power."

Shadow stepped closer. "Where is he doing all this?"

Blaze closed her eyes again, muttering her spell as she took another peek into Mighty's whereabouts. In her vision, she could see old desks in the background and even a whiteboard behind Mighty. She watched for a moment as he took the wolf's tail and dropped it into the bowl of blood. Blaze opened her eyes again determining his location. "He's at a school."

Shadow looked over to Silver, still leaned up against the garage door. "Well, then, shall you and I go and crash his little party? I know of two schools, one is under construction and the other is abandoned."

Silver watched as his brother began to walk off. "Sounds like a good idea to me," he agreed as he pushed himself away from the wall.

But out of nowhere, Shadow suddenly felt very light-headed and strange. His eyelids lowered just as he felt his knees give out underneath him, causing him to crumble to the ground.

Silver and Blaze gasped at his sudden fall. "Shadow!" Blaze exclaimed as she got up to help him.

Silver rushed over and knelt down to his brother, and flipped him over onto his back. He shook him gently, but he did not wake. "Shadow, Shadow, can you hear me?"

Blaze dropped to her knees on Shadow's other side and felt his pulse, feeling nothing in return. "He doesn't have a pulse."

Silver continued to cradle his brother's limp body in his arms. "What the hell is going on?"

"I-I don't know."

Silver went to open his mouth but was struck frozen and unable to utter another word. He made a small gasp before his eyelids lowered and he collapsed on his side also going unconscious. "Silver, Silver?!"

•~•

In another strange reality, Shadow awoke, only to find himself standing in a strange log cabin. Shadow looked around at his surroundings, noticing the game displayed out on the walls. Heads of animals a hunter may have killed were adorned in glorious fashion above a grand fireplace. "…Shadow?" a familiar voice spoke.

Shadow turned around and spotted Silver standing a few yards behind him. "Silver, what's going on, what happened to us?"

Silver also took in their surroundings, realizing what was going on. "It's a chamber de chasse—a hunt room."

"Actually, it's where witches bring their prey for mental target practice," another voice spoke. "Your bodies are in the real world laid out on the floor, whilst our minds are in here, represented by these animal heads," Mighty answered, stepping out from a dark corner of the room.

Shadow extended his arm out, trying to attack, but was rendered weak and helpless. Mighty chuckled at his attempt. "Save your strength, in here, I am untouchable. My magic, my rules." He walked past the two brooding hedgehogs with a sly smirk. "So, make yourselves at home because we're going to be here for awhile."

•~•

Back at the institute, Aurora gave Rosy a tour of the facility. The two walked down halls, passing the dining room, the game room, and other dorms. Adults of all ages and species roamed the halls, some talking to themselves, while others remained in a zombie-like state. It was all a bit off-putting, depressing, and creepy to see as they explored the halls together. "So, this place is filled with all witches?" Amy asked, taking in her surroundings.

Aurora nodded. "Yes, there are all types of patients here. Some are mentally unstable and others are considered traitors and this is our form of punishment," she sighed.

Rosy stopped by one of the hallway corners and placed her hands on her hips. "So that's it then? They just lock you up and throw away the key if you cross them the wrong way?"

"Sadly," she concurred. "At least, that was my case…"

"What about our magic?" Rosy whispered. "I mean, we're still witches, right?"

She shook her head. "The pills they give us keep our magic repressed. There's no way we can harness it inside these walls. Besides, most wouldn't dare to try to with the staff around."

Rosy frowned at the information. "Well, we can't just give up. We don't belong in here. This place is just…wrong!"

"I'm sorry, Amy, but right now there's nothing we can do."

•~•

Back in the Mystic Ruins, Sally, Sonic, and Caleb met up with Andrew after finding out he had collected all the moonlight rings from the remainder of the split pack. The orange canine dropped the copious amount of rings into a wooden bowl. "Well, that's the last of them. Everyone out here is officially ring-free."

"And better off," Sonic noted.

"Easy for you to say, blue," Andrew scoffed. "You're a hybrid and I'm back to turning every single full moon. So, I gotta ask, when's this wedding happening?"

"Three days," Sally answered. "After that, Sonic's power is your power and the full moon won't control you anymore. So go and spread the word. Any wolf who wants in needs to be here to bear witness to the wedding."

Caleb crossed his arms over his chest and looked to his comrade. "You think you can do that, Drew?"

Andrew nodded. "Yeah, I can do that, but what are you guys gonna do now?" Sonic scratched his head, unsure himself what the two of them would be doing. He opened his mouth to give a response, but someone else was quick to cut him off.

"—They're going to be meeting with an elder today," Caleb responded.

"An elder?" Sonic repeated, a bit confused on the notion.

"We need an old school pack member to conduct your wedding," he explained.

Andrew shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, before turning on his heel. "Well, good luck with that," he waved before departing.

Sally turned to the dingo and tilted her head curiously. "So who exactly is this elder you plan to have us meet today, Caleb?"

"Best one I know around, my grandma," he smirked.


	17. You Thought You Knew Me Well

AN: Whoo, I finally had enough time to post another chapter for you guys! Once again, thank you nanohatakamachi200, Januttun3n, Eternallydarkx, CrimsonDarkTheHedgehog, aliciathewolf45, and MissMJS for the reviews on the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

•~•

Back with Sonic, Sally, and Caleb, the three had been trekking through the woods for some time now to get to their location and it seemed their end goal wasn't getting any closer. Sally panted, feeling completely out of breath. She leaned against a tree to rest for a moment. "Geez, are we hiking to Mercia or something?"

Caleb stopped for a moment to look back as she took a break. "It's just a bit further, I promise."

Sonic extended his hand out towards his tired fiancé. "C'mon, Sal," he smiled. "If you want, I could always carry you the rest of the way."

She shook her head and started walking again. "No, it's okay. I can do it." The three continued walking, while Caleb led the way, but Sonic and Sally walked side by side in the back.

Sonic glanced to his left for a moment. Sally didn't look too happy; in fact, from what he could tell, she looked like she was in deep thought about something. "You nervous?" he whispered.

Sally shrugged. "I don't feel nervous, although, I guess I should be."

"You don't need to be nervous," Caleb piped in after overhearing their conversation. "She's very sweet," he chuckled. Suddenly, the group came up to a small wooden log cabin. Sitting on the porch steps, was an elderly female dingo, holding a small wooden box in her lap.

"Is that her?" Sally whispered.

Caleb nodded. "Yep, that's her." He walked over and waved. "Hey, Gran!"

The older female stood from her seat weakly, feeling her joints crack as she stood. "Y'all are late," she scolded. Caleb ignored her complaint and smiled as he opened his arms. The two hugged before parting and Caleb turned around, with an arm slung around his grandmother lovingly. "Guys, this is my Grandma Mary, and Grandma, this is Sally and Sonic."

Sally walked over with her arm extended. "It's so nice to meet you," she smiled as she shook her hand.

Sonic repeated her action and shook her hand with a charming grin. "You're more beautiful in person than Caleb described," he chuckled.

Mary shot Sonic a deadpan expression and shook her head in pity. "You don't need to lay on the charm like I said, you three are late and we need to start the marriage rituals." She began to walk away but encouraged them to follow her.

Caleb gestured for them to go after her. "You two go ahead, I'll stay back here while you finish your trials."

"Help yourself to anything in the fridge, dearest," she said looking at Caleb before turning to look at the other two. "Now, come along, you lovebirds," Mary bellowed, now several yards ahead of them.

Sonic and Sally jogged over, catching up with the elder. "So, Mary, what exactly are these rituals?" Sonic probed curiously.

"Fasting, purification, and the rite of divulgement, to name a few," she listed.

"The r-rite of what?" Sally stuttered.

"Oh, it's simple," Mary smiled. "You speak the truth, he speaks the truth, secrets are cleansed and everyone is happy. Now, keep up the pace, we need to start immediately!"

•~•

With Blaze, the feline witch had managed to get both Shadow and Silver off the ground and back inside the house. Now with both of them, lying on opposite sofas, the cat searched through Shadow's phone for contacts. Eventually, she stumbled across a name she believed she might be able to get some help from. She tapped on the name that read, "Caleb" and the phone began to dial the number.

Waiting patiently on her end for him to pick up, she felt relief when she heard his country voice come through on her end, "Hello?"

She smiled optimistically. "Caleb, I know you might be busy at the moment, but I need your help."

"What is it, Blaze?" she heard him ask. "Hey, and why are you callin' from Shadow's cell?"

"That's just it, I was doing a spell and both Shadow and Silver fell unconscious and aren't waking up," she explained.

"This wasn't a backfire from the spell you were working on, was it?" Caleb theorized.

"No, no, it's impossible. I was doing a sight-seeking spell to find out what Mephiles was up to. Before the two fainted, I saw Mephiles working on representational-" She stopped herself short, suddenly dawning on something. She dragged a hand over her face, realizing what a fool she had been. "Oh, my gosh, I am such an idiot!" she screeched.

"Wait, what now?" she heard Caleb reply on his end.

"Mephiles used a spell to transport their souls to an astral plane using representational magic," she groaned. "I'm so stupid, I should have realized what he was up to right then…"

"Sorry to be a burden, but I'm a little lost here. What does that mean now?"

"It means that Mephiles has their souls trapped in some false reality."

Caleb sighed, hearing the seriousness of the situation. "…What do we do?"

"I have no idea…"

•~•

Meanwhile, back in Mephiles' false reality, the three brothers were still standing in the main room, staring at each other. "You know, Mephiles, I have other important things to attend to than being trapped in this confined space with you."

"Oh, really? And what could possibly be more important than spending some quality time with your dear older brother?" he spoke facetiously.

"How about figuring out where the hell Amy is?" he challenged.

His interest peaked. "You mean to tell me, you still haven't located her?"

"No, so tell us where she is," Shadow demanded.

Mighty chuckled darkly. "Oh, I chose a fine host for her to be transferred into. You see, there's a fine and quite talented young witch by the name of Rosy Rascal that I had the honor of bumping into from time to time. After getting to know her, _personally_ , I decided she would be a fine candidate for your Amy Rose."

"Where do I find her?" Shadow questioned.

Mighty leaned his back against one of the walls coolly. "Last I heard, she was put away at Station Square Asylum by her coven. I have no idea what the hell she did to get them so angry," he answered with disinterest. "Oh well, it's not like you're going to be seeing her anytime soon anyway."

Shadow felt his hands clench into tight fists by his side. Who knew what kind of trouble Amy could be in at that institute? "You sick bastard, release me this instant!" he bellowed.

Ignoring his ire, Mighty hummed to himself as he walked around his prison façade, quite impressed with his handiwork. "At the very least, this prison is a bit more comfortable than that coffin you trapped me in," Mighty spoke passively, as he directed his eyes towards Shadow.

"Listen to me, you deviant sycophant!" Shadow growled. "I demand that you free us."

Silver walked over and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Shadow, you and I both know that that's not going to happen anytime soon."

"Precisely," Mighty concurred. "Now, since you'll be spending so much time here, we might as well play a little game. Which of these totems do you believe I chose to represent you?" he gestured.

Shadow walked over to the fireplace and stared at the three heads presented on the wall. He studied each of them for a moment before coming up with his answer. "Let me guess, I'm the big, bad, wolf?" he surmised as he calmly pointed to a wolf's head mounted above the fireplace. "Silver is the noble stag," he pointed towards the head next to his. "And you, fittingly enough, are the boar. Bit obvious, as far as symbolism goes."

"So you're not as stupid as I thought," Mighty droned. Shadow smirked in content with arrogance.

"Why are we here, Mephiles?" Silver chimed in.

"It's about what you did to our mother," he replied.

Shadow rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I didn't force her to drink blood and betray everything she holds dear," he argued. "That was her choice."

"That may be true, but you placed her in that position. Now I want you to know how it feels to be powerless. So I'm gonna take the thing that matters the most to you, the freedom you crave to be with your daughter and Amy," he grinned wickedly.

•~•

At the house, after changing her diaper, Blaze put down Faith. As she walked out of the bedroom, she heard a knock on the door and hustled down the stairs to answer it. Once she got there, she opened the front door and saw the rugged orange canine standing there. "Andrew, you're here!"

"Evening." He shuffled past her inside the house. "Caleb gave me the update on what's been going on. They still haven't woken up yet?"

She closed the front door, leading him into the next room. "No, they haven't. I have no idea what to do. I can't exactly leave Faith here all by herself to go and find Mephiles."

"I know where he's at. He's set up his new home base at the abandoned high school in the city."

•~•

At the asylum, Rosy and Aurora sat at a table together in the busy dining room as they ate their dinner in silence. Rosy grimaced at the taste of her meal and stared at the gloopy gruel presented to her. She let a spoonful of it drip off her spoon and back onto her plate in disgust. "This food is revolting," she groaned.

Aurora moved her own food around with her fork before taking a bite. "This is the only stuff they feed us around here, so get used to it…" She closed her eyes, trying not to focus on the awful taste as she continued her meal.

But as Rosy watched Aurora eat, a yellow furred, male polar bear, in scrubs approached their table and passed by, leaving something behind in a bundled napkin. Rosy stared at the item in surprise before watching the mysterious male resume his position against one of the walls in the distant corner to survey the cafeteria.

Carefully, Rosy undid the wrapping around the item, only to reveal a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting and multi-colored sprinkles. She glanced over to the corner where the polar bear stood and caught his gaze. As she stared back at him, he smirked and gave her a suggestive wink. She gulped nervously, before pulling her eye contact away, drifting it towards the table instead.

Finally opening her eyes, Aurora tilted her head slightly by her changed demeanor. "Are you okay, Amy?"

Rosy lifted her head slightly. "I-I don't know. That male nurse over there," she spoke quietly, trying to signal her to whom she was speaking about. "He just gave me this and when I looked over at him, he winked at me, almost as if we know each other…"

Discreetly, Aurora took a glance over her shoulder towards the nurse. While she looked at him, he was busy looking at another group of patients while he kept his arms crossed and his expression stern. Aurora turned to look back at her friend after recognizing him immediately. "That's Bark, you and—I mean, the real Rosy and him, have a sort of mutual agreement going on."

"What kind of agreement?" she questioned suspiciously.

Aurora lowered her fork. "Rosy has always been very free-spirited and promiscuous. Since she's been here, she's found her method of surviving this place comes down to sexual favors," she explained.

Rosy placed her hands on her face and bowed her head. "Oh no…"

"Bark had a couple of days off, that's probably why this is the first time you've seen him. When he's on duty, Rosy gives him what he wants and in return, he makes Rosy's life a little easier around here."

Rosy sank into her seat. "Great, now I really know I have to get the hell out of here."

"Well, you better hurry," Aurora encouraged. "Curfew is happening in a few hours, and I know for a fact Bark will be making a stop to your room tonight."

•~•

Back with the three brothers, Silver leaned his left arm across the fire mantel, starting to grow restless. "I am fighting the monumental desire to mount your severed head upon one of these walls, Mephiles."

"Like I said, brother. You can't hurt me here," he snickered. Silver barred his teeth, until having a miraculous epiphany, one that could get them out of this place. Mighty watched as Silver's awe-struck expression turned into something that looked rather dignified. "Care to share something with us?"

Silver chuckled softly. "It's a delicate craft, but I know a little bit about Representational magic. One must be ever so precise, and from what I've heard, if you misrepresent us, every enchantment this room was built upon collapses," he gestured.

Shadow glanced from Silver over to Mighty, as he placed his fingertips together sitting in the chair across from him. "I assure you, you have not been misrepresented," he replied confidently.

"Well, that depends on how well the hunter knows his prey," Silver countered. "This façade," he said rising to his feet. "This illusion that I have created over the course of my life: the noble stag." Silver stared at his totem before bowing his head in shame. "It's nothing more than a deception: to myself and to everyone…" The other two watched, as Silver turned around to look at Shadow. "For were I truly noble, I would not have withheld a vile deed."

Shadow stared back at Silver, lost on what he was even going on about. What had he ever lied to him about? "I was a coward," Silver continued. "I allowed mother to erase it from my memory."

Shadow leaned forward in his chair slightly, curious to hear what he had to reveal. "Silver, what are you talking about?"

Silver gulped nervously as he built up the courage to admit the hidden truth. "It was I who killed Gold. Not our mother, but for me." Shadow stared back at him, completely surprised by the revelation. "I hunted her down and mercilessly feasted upon her flesh. Our mother took the blame so that you would not hate me, because I didn't think you could ever forgive me." The room around them shuddered for a moment, before settling.

Silver looked in Shadow's direction. "I know it may be foolish of me to ask this, but I hope you can forgive me. For the past week, I've felt terrible for the things I've done. I am so sorry, Shadow."

"The act may be reprehensible, but your admitting to it proves you to be the man I thought you to be," Mighty pointed accusingly. "See, my magic stands," he gloated proudly.

"Does it?" Shadow countered. "It turns out my brother is even more depraved than I am..." Shadow rose from his seat and walked over to the fireplace, staring at the stag on the wall. "He is no longer the noble stag," he spoke quietly before turning around to face the other two. "Indeed, an altogether different beast is creeping through the cracks, but it just so happens that you have also failed in your representation of me, brother. Because there is one thing you never thought me capable of."

"And what's that?" Mighty challenged.

Shadow walked over and placed his hand on Silver's shoulder reassuringly. "Forgiveness," he said as he smiled.

"You…you forgive me for my horrid act?" Silver spoke aghast.

Shadow nodded. "It's been a thousand years since her death. Yes, at the time I felt bad for her death, but I saw how upset you were when you found out about her murder. I always knew you loved her more than me, Silver…"

The lights in the room began to flicker, and the reality constructed around them began to lowly vibrate. Mighty looked around the room, seeing his magic was beginning to fade. "What," he gawked.

Shadow chuckled lowly. "Mephiles, you have remained a boar for centuries, but here is where your true fault lies. You never learned that the bonds of family far outweigh anything else! Such bonds trump petty jealousies."

Once finishing his grand speech, both the wolf and stag heads combusted into flames. Mighty rose from his own seat, astounded that the two were able to break free from his prison. "How is this possible?"

Shadow smirked knowingly. "Your magic is as flawed as your perception of your own siblings." With that, Silver and Shadow vanished from the cabin, returning to reality.

•~•

At the house, Blaze and Andrew sat in the kitchen feeding Faith a bottle, but at that moment, both Silver and Shadow returned to their bodies. The two hedgehogs jolted upright on the sofas as they gasped a breath of fresh air. Blaze and Andrew looked into the living room, beaming with excitement at seeing their revival. "Silver, Shadow!" Blaze smiled excitedly.

Andrew held Faith in his arms as he watched Blaze run over and greet the two brothers. Silver rubbed at his forehead tiredly, just as Blaze unexpectedly embraced him. He grunted slightly, feeling her tight embrace as she wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling his face with her own. "Blaze—sweetheart, I can't breathe."

She released her hold apologetically. "Oh, I'm so sorry. It's just, I was so worried about you."

"—Thanks for asking about my wellbeing," another voice droned in the background.

Blaze looked over her shoulder at Shadow, also rubbing at the side of his head. "Sorry, Shadow, are you okay?"

Shadow rose to his feet. "Just peachy," he said in a flat tone. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He walked towards the front door.

"Wait, a second, where are you going?" Blaze called.

"To rescue Amy," he answered as he opened the door.

•~•

Back at the asylum, curfew had quickly approached and all patients were locked in their rooms for the night. Lying on her side in bed, Rosy kept her back faced towards the door. In her right hand, she clutched the plastic knife she had swiped from the cafeteria as a makeshift weapon. Like Aurora had said earlier, it would only be a matter of time before Bark arrived to get what he desired and now that she was back to being a mortal, she had no idea if she could defend herself against him. It was just a shame she didn't know how to use magic or have the ability to wield it against him since it could have come in handy right about now.

"Shadow…" she muttered to herself as she stared at her bedroom wall. "Where are you?" she whispered in a trembled breath. Why hadn't he come to look for her? Did he not care anymore or did something worse happen? Just then, her ears twitched to the sound of her bedroom door being unlocked. Quickly, she sat up, making sure to conceal her makeshift weapon behind her back.

As the door opened, the light from the hall swept inside, casting the shadow of the large polar bear. Bark entered and closed the door behind him, locking it to ensure they wouldn't be interrupted. "Hello, beautiful," he grinned deviously. "I missed yah."

Rosy tried to sit up straight, showing confidence, but couldn't help but shudder by the way he looked at her. His eyes practically bore into her own, as if he could see right through her. "You…"

•~•

At that same time, Shadow had been on autopilot the entire way to his destination. As he came to his endpoint, he walked up the steps marching straight towards the entrance. Shadow walked in past the sliding glass doors towards the main desk where he spotted a brown female bunny, typing away at her computer. Her eyes glanced away from her screen towards him the moment she heard him enter. "Oh, sir, I'm sorry to inform you, but we're closed for the night."

Shadow kept his stoic expression as he stood at the main desk. "I could care less. What I want to know is, where Rosy Rascal's room is located?"

The rabbit blinked nervously as she stared him. "I-I'm sorry sir, visitation ended several hours ago, you can visit your loved one tomorrow after 12 PM."

Shadow slammed the side of his clenched fist onto the surface, making her gasp in surprise. "I'll ask this again…" he said as his eyes began to dilate for his compulsion. Her eyes stared back into his, completely hypnotized. "What is Rosy Rascal's Room number?"

•~•

Meanwhile, back upstairs; things weren't going as planned for Amy as she stared at her unwanted visitor. "So, what kind of fun should we get up to this time?" Bark asked as he slowly began to approach her.

"Stop," she commanded, making him halt for a moment. "You need to know something. I'm not who you think I am, my name is not Rosy, it's Amy."

Bark blinked a few time, puzzled at first, but his confusion quickly turned into enticing intrigue. "Oh, I get it. You want to role-play tonight, huh? That's super kinky, babe, and I'm down for that. So tonight, I'll be Sam."

She shook her head and held out her plastic knife. "No, get the hell away from me you creep."

He gave out a hearty chuckle. "Oh, hell yes, I'm loving what you've come up with tonight, sweet cheeks. Role-play with made up identities and a rape fantasy. You are a dirty girl…"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing; he thought this was all a game? "No, wait-" He ignored her pleas and slapped the plastic knife out of her hand, sending it flying in the other direction. She froze in horror as she watched him lunge for her, but quickly dodged out of the way, doing a quick tuck and roll.

"Playing hard to get? Once I get my hands on you, I'm gonna do yah real rough," he chuckled darkly, as he tried to keep in character.

She stood upright and backed up. "Keep away from me!"

He began to encroach towards her, cornering her further and further. "Not a chance, you don't have many places to run and hide."

Rosy backed up, taking note of the fact that there really wasn't anywhere to run. Maybe being a vampire wasn't so bad after all; at least she would be able to defend herself with her incredible vampire speed and strength. Now she was helpless and up against this sexual deviant. Seeing his opportunity, Bark made a running dash towards her with his arms out ready to strike. Rosy froze in place as she saw him getting closer and closer.

•~•

On the second floor, the elevator doors finally opened and Shadow stepped out after getting the information he needed to find Rosy's room number. He walked down the dimmed hall, looking at both sides to see the room numbers he passed. Shadow counted in his head as he passed the rooms, _300, 301, 302,_ getting closer to his correct number of room 310.

But out of nowhere, he heard a muffled scream coming from further down the hall. Fearing the worst, Shadow picked up his pace and rushed towards the sound, stopping in front of room 310. Furrowing his brows, Shadow took a few steps back before making a running start and kicking the door in. As he entered, he was horrified to find Bark holding Rosy down to the bed as he straddled her. The two of them looked at Shadow after hearing him kick the door in.

Rosy looked relieved to see Shadow standing there. "Shadow…"

Bark growled and narrowed his eyes at their spectator. "Who the hell are you?"

Shadow didn't answer and instead ran over, grabbed him by the back of the shirt, and threw him towards the other side of the room. His head collided with the wall with great force making the wall crack. The polar bear slumped over as blood poured from his open mouth.

Finally free, Rosy sat up and panted as she stared at her assailant's corpse lying on the other side of the room. Shadow placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her out of her traumatic stupor. "Amy, Amy?"

She looked up at him, meeting his ruby eyes and lunged into his arms, embracing him. "Shadow!" she exclaimed. Shadow held her, holding her close, and feeling relieved he had gotten there in time.


	18. Not Quite Gone

**AN:** Yikes, I've been MIA! I'm so sorry for the absence, but like I've continued saying. I've been ridiculously busy with work. I don't plan on abandoning this story, however, it will take longer for updates. Thanks again to all those that continue to stick it through with my story and leave me reviews/feedback. You know who you are. Now, onto the next chapter.

•~•

In the living room, Blaze and Faith sat on the carpet as they played together. Blaze moved a plush rabbit toy in her hand, making Faith laugh and coo. In the meantime, Silver stood in the kitchen waiting for a bottle to heat up in the microwave. It was getting late and Faith needed to be fed and put to bed soon, otherwise, Shadow would have a fit.

Silver stood at the other end across from the microwave with his back up against one of the counters as he watched the timer tick down. Just as the microwave narrowed down to its last ten seconds, his eyes were drawn away when he heard a loud wail come from the living room. Using his speed, Silver whisked himself into the living room, only to find Blaze standing and holding a crying Faith in her arms. "What happened?"

"Oh, she accidentally grabbed at the tablecloth from the coffee table and that old knickknack fell on her forehead," she explained. Faith turned her head towards him, and Silver stared at the minor scratch presented on her forehead where a drip a blood streaked down her face. Faith continued to wail profusely and Silver stared at the cut suddenly finding himself captivated by the sight. Time seemed to slow down as an irritating ringing resonated in his ears. Flashes of the ominous red door came to mind, and he felt himself tremble at the sight.

In reality, Blaze stared at him while she continued to bounce Faith gently to calm her. Silver looked like he was no longer on planet Earth as he stared almost in vegetation like state. "Silver, Silver?" she called softly.

Finally coming back around, Silver shook his head, arriving out of his stupor. "Uh, forgive me." He turned around and headed for the nearest bathroom. "I'll fetch her a band-aid."

Blaze watched her retreating fiancé, still worried for Silver's mental state. It was apparent, that he was still struggling with his inner demons.

•~•

Meanwhile, at the institute, Shadow cupped Rosy's face in his hands as he got a good look at her. She trembled slightly as she looked back at him. What did he think of her new appearance? Was she no longer pretty to him, was he mad that her plan had backfired? "He didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head. "No, you came just in time."

Shadow stood, taking her hand in his and leading her towards the door. "Then let's get the hell out of here."

Just as the two began to leave the room, two male nurses spotted them. "Hey!" Shadow moved Rosy behind him as he stood in front of her protectively. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you shouldn't be up here," one of the nurses pointed.

Shadow clenched his fists by his side. "If you have any ounce of intellect, you'll move aside and allow us to leave peacefully."

One of the nurses, a brown bulldog, bared his teeth threateningly. "Don't think so, pal."

Shadow smirked, shaking his head in pity at their decision. "Then it's settled." The two nurses watched in awe as he vanished before them before reappearing inches in front of the bulldog with his incredible speed.

The dog gasped but cried out in agony as he felt a swift punch to his gut. Gasping, he looked down only to realize that Shadow hadn't only punched him, but had actually stabbed him in the stomach with his own hand. Feeling light-headed, the dog dropped to the floor, bleeding out.

The other nurse, a purple minx, standing yards away, stared at his co-worker in complete shock. Shadow turned his attention away, before sauntering towards him without urgency. He wasn't able to get away in time, as Shadow grabbed him with his now bloody hand by the throat, and shoved him against the wall.

The minx gasped as Shadow held him in place. "Puh-please," he begged. "You have no idea—what you're doing letting her go," he gasped.

Shadow raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"That girl," he noted, moving his eyes in her direction. "She's incredibly dangerous, powerful—not to mention, she's a menace to society," he expressed through short breaths. "She needs to stay in here."

"Whoever she may have been is gone now. Either way, I'm taking her with me," he spoke before squeezing hard enough to break his neck.

Rosy cringed in the background as she heard the sickening crack. Shadow released his hold on the body and turned to look at her. "Let's go."

•~•

Back at the house, Blaze watched as Silver placed the band-aid on Faith's forehead. He smiled seeing she was no longer upset. Faith smiled up at her uncle and in return he took her out of Blaze's arms and cradled her. Blaze watched as Silver paced around the room slowly, making Faith giggle by his gentle bouncing. After a few minutes ago, Blaze had come up with a theory for Silver's strange behavior. "It was a trigger," she interrupted. "But you managed to pull yourself back, you're improving," she spoke optimistically.

Silver turned and looked at her strangely by her odd comment. "What are you talking about?"

Blaze took a seat on the sofa. "We can't ignore the fact that your mind goes elsewhere when you see blood. It's very common in PTSD patients. You've done the work to face your atrocities, but it'll take time for you to get back to normal."

Silver joined her on the sofa and reached for the now lukewarm baby bottle on the coffee table. "You believe you have the power to resolve this?"

She watched as Silver began to bottle feed Faith. "It's not going to be easy, in cases like yours, sometimes not dwelling on the problem is more productive than examining it through therapy."

"So, what do I do to alleviate it?" Silver asked.

"Keep your mind busy on other menial tasks, you know, like fixing something, working on a project, or starting a new hobby."

He shrugged, not as certain on her theory and instead focused on feeding Faith. "If you say so."

•~•

During the drive home, Shadow caught Amy up to date on why it had taken so long to find her. After the explanation, there was only one thing on her mind. "Is Faith okay? Nothing happened while I was gone, right?"

Shadow kept his eyes on the road as he continued to drive. "No, Faith is perfectly fine. She's been a little cranky, but I'm sure she'll be happy to see her mother again."

There was a pause as she dwelled on something. Rosy fiddled with her fingers placed in her lap. "…Do you think she'll recognize me?"

Shadow glanced at her briefly. "Of course, you're her mother after all."

Her ears drooped sadly. "Yeah, but I don't look like her anymore…"

Trying to shift her dampened mood, Shadow cleared his throat as he steered the conversation elsewhere. "There is something I forgot to mention, something quite important in fact."

Her head tilted with curiosity. "What is it?"

"Sonic and Sally are getting married," he answered.

Her ears perked at the exciting news, "Sonic's getting married?" she repeated. "I mean, I know they've only been dating for a couple of months, but isn't this a little fast?" she questioned.

Shadow chuckled softly at her concern. "Yes, it's a long story, but it's for the good of the pack," he began.

She stared at him, eager to hear more details. "Well, we have another twenty minute drive, start explaining."

•~•

At the Wolves' camp, Sonic sat on one of the docks, staring out over the lake. The stars glistened in the night sky as he sat there in silence, enjoying the sound of crickets and frogs chirping around the lake. Unfortunately, his moment of clarity stopped when he heard footsteps approach. The blue hedgehog turned slightly, only to see Sally making her way towards him down the dock. He smiled up at her before she took a seat by his side. "I had wondered where you wandered off to."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "The rituals took a lot out of me, I just came here to take a breather, ya know?

Sally smiled at him. "Yeah, they took a lot out of me too, but I just got some good news from Caleb."

His ears twitched. "And what's that?"

"More packs from up North have heard of our marriage ceremony. They want in and are willing to bow down to you in order for their packs to gain your powers. They're arriving early tomorrow morning to meet us."

Sonic blinked in surprise. "Really, there are other alphas out there willing to give up their status for me?"

Sally nodded. "Mhm, we're going to have one hell of an army once this is all complete."

Sonic stood and Sally mimicked his actions. "Hey, how about we hit the hay, huh? We still got a lot of important stuff to attend to for the big day?"

The two began to walk down the docks together hand and hand. "You're right. Let's get some sleep."

•~•

In the living room, Silver and Blaze lounged on the couch together now asleep, but Silver stirred when he heard the front door click open. Shadow and Rosy waltzed inside, approaching the couple on the couch. Silver cracked his eyes open, figuring it must have been Shadow returning. When they were fully open, he stared in astonishment at Amy's new form standing before him. "Amy," he asked, leaning forward in awe. "Is that really you?"

Blaze began to rouse from her sleep as she felt Silver move and speak. "Huh, what's going on?" she asked tiredly before seeing the two. She gasped at Rosy's appearance, not recognizing her at first. "Amy?"

Rosy smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, it's me." The two stood and embraced her unexpectedly, making her wobble slightly backward. "Whoa, glad you're happy to see me," she chuckled.

They pulled apart in unison with pleasant smiles. "We didn't mean to sound rude, it's just so odd seeing you in another body is all," Blaze explained.

"I know what you mean," she laughed. "It was really bizarre seeing myself in the mirror for the first time. I'm still getting used to it."

The cat rested a hand on her shoulder. "Well, don't get too accustomed to it, I swear I will find out how to get you back into your original body," Blaze pledged with determination.

Rosy smiled appreciatively. "I appreciate that Blaze, but don't get yourself frazzled about the spell. Take your time, I don't mind waiting." In the background, Shadow frowned by her comment. Whether she knew it or not, the body swapping spell was a difficult one to master, and for all he knew, Amy might never return to her old body again, leaving him with a bleak outcome.

"Now," Amy spoke, taking Shadow out of his dark thoughts. "I hope you guys don't mind, but I'd really like to look in on Faith before heading to bed. I've been worried about her for the past two days."

"Of course, but just a little side note," Silver advised. "Faith had a small accident an hour ago. She got a little scratch on her forehead, but it's nothing to worry about," he clarified quickly. "I bandaged it."

The pink hedgehog nodded. "Thanks for letting me know." With that, she wandered upstairs with Shadow tagging along behind.

•~•

Upstairs, Rosy and Shadow entered Faith's bedroom and approached her sleeping form in the crib. The little pink infant slept soundly on her back, completely oblivious to her parents watching over her.

Rosy leaned over the railing of the crib and gently stroked the top of her head. "I couldn't imagine not being a part of her life," she pondered quietly. "To imagine not being able to see her grow up made me incredibly sad."

Shadow wrapped an arm around her and kissed her on the cheek. "You don't have to worry about that, you're here now," he replied quietly, trying not to wake her.

Rosy blushed by his gesture before staring at the blue band-aid along Faith's forehead. Curiously, she reached down and peeled it off her with ease to get a look at the supposed minor cut. But when the band-aid was completely removed her eyes widened in surprise. There wasn't a cut in sight. Shadow also seemed baffled by this as he observed the non-injury. "I don't think Faith's doctor would approve of her uncle using his blood to heal his niece," she scolded quietly.

Shadow opened his mouth to concur until another thought crossed his mind. "I don't think Silver was responsible for this."

She raised a brow at him. "What do you mean?"

"Remember, Faith is a quarter vampire, perhaps she healed herself. After all, her blood healed you when you were pregnant," he reminded.

Listening to his theory, she looked back down at her child. "There's a new surprise every day with this one, isn't there?"

Shadow took her hand in his and turned on his heel. "Come now, we should get some rest ourselves."

•~•

Later that night, in Shadow and Amy's bedroom, Rosy slept facing away from Shadow as her face contorted into different pained expressions. She looked like she was working up a sweat as if she was battling some sort of inner turmoil. In the meantime, Shadow was completely oblivious as he slept soundly on the other side of the bed.

Suddenly, Rosy's eyes shot open. Slowly, she moved the covers off her body as she sat on the edge of the bed looking stoic in her expression. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at Shadow still soundly asleep before quietly getting up and making her way out of the room.

•~•

At the abandoned school, Mighty diligently worked on grinding up some herbs for a spell, until his attention was pulled away when he heard footsteps making their way down the hall. Narrowing his brows, he stopped his work and looked towards his opened classroom doorway in anticipation of an unannounced arrival. "Who's out there? Reveal yourself!"

A shadowy figure came creeping into the doorway, outlining a hedgehog. Mighty dropped his guard for a moment as he stared at the familiar arrival. He scoffed at the sight of his guest. "What are you doing here?"

Rosy placed her hands on her hips and smirked. "Is that any way to address an old acquaintance?" she asked fluttering her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Hold on now…" Mighty stared at her skeptically and with caution. "I thought I was talking to Amy, but now I'm not as certain." Mighty started to walk around the desk, refusing to take his eyes off her. "Who exactly do I have the pleasure of talking to at this moment?"

She ran a hand over her quills. "Who else but the owner of this gorgeous body?"

Mighty froze in his tracks as those words left her mouth. "That's not possible," he mumbled. "I placed the body binding agents to your body myself. If Amy's not in there, then where-"

"—Oh, don't think too hard about it, buddy, she's still in here, but I'm in control at the moment," she addressed proudly. "You underestimated how powerful I truly am. You should have known that I don't give up that easily."

His fists clenched by his side. "Then why the hell are you here, what the hell do you want?"

"Do I really have to explain? I'm here to get some revenge, starting with whoever the hell you are," she pointed threateningly.

"You don't know who I am?" Mighty chuckled in amusement.

"I know you're not whoever this guy is you're impersonating," she replied. "Based on my intuition, you're someone very powerful, yet, much more sinister."

He smiled, dignified by her description. "You're correct in your assessment, now if you have any common sense, you'd know not to mess with me," he warned.

"Too bad you don't know who I am," she smiled darkly. Rosy stuck her hand out towards him. "Buy-u-cho!"

Right then, Mighty's body was rendered frozen, unable to react in time to her assault. "Damn it," he muttered.

She walked closer in his direction, stopping just inches in front of him. Mighty watched as she reached out and stroked a hand down his right cheek. "Whoever you're currently possessing, I'm sure isn't too pleased about it, and I think he would feel gratitude for being freed from your hold," she finished, cupping his face with both her hands.

"No, don't you dare," he growled.

Rosy only grinned maliciously before allowing her magic to flow to her hands. Mighty cried out as he felt an agonizing electricity run through his body as Rosy held him by the face, working her magic. With her magic surging through his body, Mighty eyelids lowered and fell unconscious. His body dropped to the floor from exhaustion and Rosy looked to the corner of the room where a dark entity stood.

"So, there's the real you," she grinned sinisterly. After being forced to leave his host, Mephiles' spirit stood there, staring back at the pink witch in anger. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mephiles and I'm one of the many Original vampires."

"An Original, huh?" she repeated with intrigue. "I guess it's only fair that I send your spirit back to where it belongs," she spoke as she began to step towards him.

"Don't come any closer, whore!" he spat. Suddenly, the classroom windows burst open and a large gust of wind came in, making stray papers fly all over the room. Rosy shielded her face from the whipping debris while Mephiles did the same. "What the hell are you doing?" he yelled over the roaring wind.

"It's not me!" she shouted over the roaring winds.

Out of nowhere, Mephiles felt a strong pull on his body, dragging him out of his corner. "What the hell?" He tried to step back, but his body was dragged forward, forcing him onto his stomach. "What's happening to me?"

Rosy watched as his body was dragged further and further towards one of the open windows. "Looks like someone else beat me to my idea," she smirked wickedly.

Mephiles looked over his shoulder at the window that he was being sucked towards. "No, this can't be happening!"

Rosy continued to shield her face with one arm as she watched. "You must have been one naughty boy, Mephy! I think we all know where you're heading right now…"

The winds got even stronger and before he realized it, his spirit was airborne and was sucked out into oblivion taking the violent winds with him. "Nooo!" he cried as the classroom windows shut tight, leaving the classroom he once resided in, silent.

The papers and debris that had been whipping around violently suddenly began to cascade down. Rosy dusted her hands off, quite pleased with the outcome. "One Original down, three more to go."


	19. The Pledge

**AN:** Just quickly saying, "Hello," before you read the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy, but this chapter is more focused on Mighty now that he is freed from Mephiles' hold. It's definitely going to get _very_ interesting soon, though. Thank you, Aliciathewolf45, CrimsonDarkTheHedgehog, Janttun3n, ClemintineXO, risingzero1984, MissMJS, and Kimberly Rosivel Lopez for the reviews on chapter 18!

•~•

The next morning, Shadow rolled over and woke up to the sun shining through his window. Turning slightly, he stared at the back of Rosy's head as she continued to sleep soundly under the sheets. Carefully, he placed an arm over her side, moved closer behind, and snuggled her. Rosy groaned in her sleep before stirring. "What?" she whined playfully.

He kissed the back of her shoulder. "It's time to get up, gorgeous."

"Really?" she moaned in annoyance, keeping her eyes shut. "I feel like I could go for another few hours."

Shadow pulled away from her and swung his legs off the side of his bed. "Did you not get much sleep last night?"

"I dunno," she mumbled. "I thought I did, but I had some funky dreams last night. It's hard to explain…"

"We all have our bad nights," Shadow noted while he headed for the hall. "Want me to make you some coffee? We'll need to be at the bayou in an hour to help out with the wedding preparations."

Rosy sat on the edge of the bed, still feeling strange. "Yeah, sure, I'll tend to Faith while you do that and then join you downstairs."

Shadow gave her a nod before heading downstairs. Once he was out of sight, Rosy looked down at her hands before clenching them into fists. She couldn't quite put her finger on it because her memory was quite fuzzy, but something was not sitting right. Either way, she was sure she'd get down to the bottom of it.

•~•

At that same time at the abandoned high school, the real Mighty began to stir after being freed from Mephiles who had been using his body as a resort. The armadillo lifted himself off the floor groggily as he got his bearings. "What the…where am I?" he asked while squinting. "Wait a second." He patted his chest before looking down at his hands. "I'm…I'm free?" he spoke in disbelief. There was a pause before reality set in. Mighty looked to his left. "That Original is no longer inside me?"

He spotted sheets of papers scattered across the floor, flipped school desks, and a chalkboard full of spell notes as he determined his location. "A school?"

Rubbing his eyes, he began to recall what had happened the night he and his friend Aurora were attacked. He remembered finding Aurora knocked unconscious in her apartment before being knocked out himself. It felt like it had been quite some time since that memory had happened, so how much time had passed since then? And better yet, where was Aurora now? Knowing his friend could be in danger at that very moment, Mighty looked at the witchcraft materials he had available in his environment. Perhaps he could use some of it and conjure up a locator spell to locate Aurora.

•~•

At the Wolves' campsite, Mary stood outside before a group of male alphas near a lake. Caleb, Andrew, and three other males from wolf packs stood there waiting for further instructions, while Sonic and Sally stood nearby. Mary brought her hand up to her mouth and cleared her throat to begin the ceremony. "Wolves are bonded by what is most important to us, the earth of our territory, and the blood of our packs."

Mary walked over and held out a large wooden bowl. "Now, you've all brought what I asked, correct?" The group of alphas nodded before each pulled out a small sack. "What I want you to do is place the dirt you collected from your territory into the bowl before we start our next step." The bowl was passed down the row from leader to leader as they poured the contents of their sacks into the wooden bowl. Different types of terra were poured into the bowl, some dirt, some gravel, and others sand.

Once that was finished, Mary collected the bowl of contents and walked back over to the front of the line. "Mixing these elements, we irrevocably bind ourselves to one another, creating a new pack." She reached to her left side and pulled out a switchblade, opening it, and handing it over to Caleb. "Give us some of your blood so that we can complete this ceremony."

Caleb looked down at the blade before taking it and dragging it across his palm, making a large slit. He handed the blade over to Andrew before forming his injured hand into a tight fist to squeeze some of his blood into the bowl. The rest of the males copied this action as Mary collected a sample of their blood in the bowl. Once everyone's blood was collected to standing before the males with the bowl in hand. "Finally, I ask each one of you this, do you renounce your Alpha status?"

In unison, the five of them bowed on one knee before Mary, Sonic, and Sally. "Yes," they replied together.

Mary smiled, pleased by their answer. "Excellent, now we can do the final stages." She walked over to Sonic and handed him the knife, allowing for him to offer his own blood. Sally watched as Sonic slit his palm before squeezing a large amount into the bowl.

Mary collected his blood and the knife back and walked off. As Sonic looked down at his palm, Sally watched in amazement as his wound healed within seconds. "Whoa…"

Mary walked over to her makeshift workstation and used a stamp to dip into the blood before stamping it onto a handwritten scroll with this written oath. "With this, you sign away your rule to your pack and give authority to your new leader, Sonic." She stamped the stamp at the bottom of the page before rolling it up. The group watched as she took that scroll and held it over a candle on the table, allowing it to burn away. Once it was completely burnt, the ashes left over took to the wind that carried it to the heavens.

Mary turned to the group and smiled. "It is done."

•~•

After doing a location spell, Mighty found himself downtown to a location he had not been very familiar with. He walked down the sidewalk until coming to his destination, _Station Square Asylum_. "No way…" he muttered under his breath with a hint of fear.

As it turns out, Mighty had heard of the facility he stood before. Station Square Asylum was a place where witches were brought if they acted out of conduct with their coven. Insane ones, which were mentally unstable, were brought here, along with others that were shunned by their community for using forbidden magic. The institute was known for being cruel with the treatment of their patients that misbehaved, and Mighty could only imagine what Aurora might have been going through.

Feeling determined to save her; he walked up the steps to the institute and stepped past the sliding automated doors. Inside the lobby he spotted a female, brown, bunny, sitting behind the desk. "Um, excuse me, is there any chance I could see Aurora Echidna today?" he asked politely.

"What is your relation to her, sir?" she asked.

Mighty leaned his arms across the counter. "She's a friend of mine."

The secretary turned to face her computer, hovering her hands over the keyboard. "Full name?" she asked before she went to type.

"Mighty Armadillo," he answered. She began typing his name into the computer's database and Mighty watched her fingers dart and move furiously over the keyboard until another thought crossed his mind. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why was Aurora submitted here in the first place?"

The female paused her typing and turned to look back at him. Her face remained neutral in expression as she stared back at him. "I can't reveal that classified information, sir. Also, your name appears not to be in our database, so sadly, I cannot allow you to see your friend at this time."

Mighty's expression turned sour. "What do you mean? She's my friend and I have a right to see her!"

"I'm sorry, sir. We've had a recent issue with people not in our database breeching our institute, so we're beginning to crack down on our visitation limits. If you were a family member, you would be allowed in."

His fists clenched in anger. "This is ridiculous, Aurora has no living family. I'm basically all she has left, therefore, I demand to speak with a manager," he spoke, tone rising with frustration.

"…Mighty?" a male voice spoke from behind him.

Mighty turned and spotted a large green crocodile in a business suit standing next to an office room. "Vector?" he spoke back, instantly recognizing him.

Vector looked over to his secretary. "Don't worry, Chantelle, I've got this handled. In the meantime, Mighty, step into my office," he gestured kindly.

Obliging, Mighty walked inside Vector's office and watched as his old friend closed the door behind them. Once alone, Vector turned only to see Mighty looking disappointed as he stood with his arms crossed. "Since when did you start running this place?"

Vector sighed and walked over to his desk, taking a seat behind it. "A year ago," he replied. "Enough about me, where have you been, old friend? I haven't seen you in awhile."

"My body was freed of being used as host today," he explained. "An Original was inhabiting my body as their own for the past few months. I don't know much of what I was getting up to, but I know it couldn't have been any good."

Vector frowned by the notion and felt sympathy for his friend. "Sounds like something they'd do. I'm sorry they chose you, but at least you have control again."

"Yes, but let's stop discussing that," he segued. "My business in coming here is about my friend."

"And who is that?"

"Aurora Echidna," he replied. "I want her released, immediately."

Vector leaned back in his chair. "Ah, yes. She's fairly new to our facility, she's only been here for a few weeks now."

"I'll ask again, why is she here? Who put her here in the first place?"

"Her coven submitted her to the institute after they found out she was harboring an ancient witch inside her. They believed she conspired with this ancient spirit and lost trust in her. From that, Aurora has suffered PTSD from the event and has lost the ability to use her magic. The coven decided that leaving her here was a suitable punishment," Vector explained.

"They believed she conspired to make this happen?" he repeated in astonishment. "Listen, I know Aurora and she would never voluntarily allow anyone to use her body as a vessel. Please, you must let me take her away from this place."

"Look, I don't agree with how her coven handled the situation, but I'm running this place the best I can. I might be able to help you out under the table with this ordeal if you help me with something…"

Mighty's expression grew optimistic. "I'll do anything, just name it."

Vector interlaced his fingers together over his desk. "Last night, an Original broke into our facility and kidnapped one of our patients," he began.

Mighty shook his head, already peeved by the story. "Damn Originals…" he scoffed under his breath. "Any idea why?" he probed curiously.

"No clue and I have no idea if they know what they're getting into. But I know you, Mighty. You're strong and gifted in your skills with magic. After all, you were the top of our class." He reached into one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a file and tossed it on the desktop. "If you can find this witch and bring her back, I'll sign a release and let your friend go," he promised. "I'm trusting you to do this because only a few people know of her escape. I'm trying to keep her coven from discovering it, especially since they paid me well to keep her locked up."

Might reached over and picked up the manila folder and flipped it open. His eyes scanned the information along with the picture provided by a pink hedgehog. He looked at the identification to see the patient's name. "Rosy Rascal?" he repeated with uncertainty. "Never heard of her. Why do you need her back so badly?"

"Although I know this facility is abused with patients who don't necessarily need to be here, Rosy happens to one of my patients that do need to remain inside these walls. She's an A rank level criminal witch and should not be around the mortal public. She was originally brought in because she was siphoning children's life forms to make herself more powerful."

"Children sacrifice," he mumbled in disgust. Mighty closed the file and laid it on his lap, and looked at Vector with determination. "I promise I'll bring her back. Just make sure Aurora is taken care of properly in my absence."

"Will do."

•~•

A little later that morning, Shadow, Rosy, and Faith arrived at the werewolf campsite. Rosy pushed Faith in her stroller while Shadow walked by her side. The two came up to the large group of werewolves clustered around two individuals. Shadow, Rosy, and Faith waited in the back of the crowd, just as it began to disperse, allowing for them to get through. Once a gap had formed, the two spotted Sally and Sonic talking to their newcomers joining their pack. Sonic turned away from one conversation when he spotted Shadow in the crowd. "Oh, Shadow," he waved walking over in his direction.

When he got over, Sonic's expression turned into awe as he stared at the unknown female standing by Shadow's side. He cocked his head to the side and raised a brow. "Wait a minute…Ames, is that you?"

Rosy smiled sheepishly confirming his suspicion. "Yeah, it's me."

Sonic reached out and brought her into a bear hug, making her gasp as the life was squeezed out of her. "Geez, I was worried sick when I heard what happened. You're okay, right?"

"I will be if you let me breathe again," she gasped.

Sonic quickly released his hold. "Sorry about that, I forget my own strength sometimes," he chuckled.

"Shadow caught me up on everything that's been happening and I wanted to congratulate you and Sally on the exciting news!"

Sonic smiled appreciatively. "That's sweet of you, Ames."

"We also felt that we should help anywhere we can in setting up your wedding. It's only fair that we do a bit of the graft so you two can worry about more important things," Shadow offered.

Sally and Sonic exchanged looks before their expression turned to mutual smiles. "What do you think, Sal?"

"I think that'd be wonderful," Sally smiled. "Speaking of help. I could really use some help picking out a wedding dress. I, uh, don't exactly have many girlfriends in my inner circle…"

"Blaze and I would love to help," Rosy grinned.

Sally smiled. "Wonderful."

•~•

The three girls headed into town together eventually finding a small wedding boutique to look at some dresses. Rosy, Sally, and Blaze helped Sally find the perfect wedding dress and sat in to help observe her in her fittings. Rosy stood at one end of a rack, while Blaze searched another. Sally, in the meantime, searched in another area to cut down the search. "Ah-ha!" Sally smiled. "I think I found one."

The other two girls, turned away from their search to get a look at now the ninth option. Sally held it out and the two girls beamed at the sight. "Oh my, it's absolutely gorgeous," Blaze complimented.

"I have to agree, it's super pretty, yet subtle," Rosy concurred.

"You should go try it on," Blaze encouraged.

"I will." Sally walked off to the changing room with her dress in hand. About five minutes later, after getting zipped up by one of the sales assistants, Sally came waltzing out in her dress pick.

Rosy and Blaze sat on one of the sofas waiting for her arrival but gasped in joy at her final reveal. The dress was form fitting, showing off her curvy figure, giving a small amount of cleavage, and had a small train. The lacy detailing was gorgeous and really brought the whole dress together. "This has to be the one," Rosy pointed.

Sally took a gander at herself in the full-length mirror and nodded in agreement. "I think you're right, Amy. This is definitely the one."

•~•

After purchasing the dress, Sally returned to the campsite that was now busy preparing for the big event. Sally walked around camp, watching pack members setting up decorations, chairs, and preparing food. "Wow..."

"—It's a bit overwhelming, huh?" a familiar voice piped in. Sally turned only to see Sonic sauntering towards her with his charming smile.

"You could say that," she laughed lightly.

"Sorry about that," he said rubbing the back of his neck. "Shadow seems to like hosting parties and can go a little over the top. But anyway, how was the dress hunt? Find anything that caught your eye?" he probed with genuine curiosity.

She brushed some of her bangs away from her face as a gush of wind blew between them. "Yes, actually, I found the perfect dress and I think you'll like how it looks."

"Hey, I think you'll look beautiful even if you were to get married to me in a plaid shirt, skinny jeans, and combat boots," he cracked.

Sally blushed by his compliment knowing that even though he was joking, he was serious. Sonic always made her feel beautiful despite her tomboy nature and dress code. "You know, I'm not the kind of girl who sat around fantasizing about her wedding day, and if I had, it probably would have looked…" She watched as two werewolves pushed a trolley full of fresh extravagant flowers away. "—A little less like this..."

Sonic smirked playfully. "You're not getting cold feet, are yah, Sal?"

She shook her head quickly in denial. "No, no, not at all!" she said waving her hands out in front of her. "This is what's right. I want this and our pack needs it, too."

Sonic reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder, catching her off guard slightly. "Sal, it's okay to feel a little nervous. It's normal, but I promise you that you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives together very happily," he smiled as he closed his eyes and tilted his head.

"I believe you," she smiled.

"Well, tomorrow's the big day, huh?" he segued. Sonic glanced at one of the clocks on the wall. "It looks like it's that time where you and I can't see each other anymore until you walk down the aisle."

"Oh sheesh, is it that time already?" she asked, startled by how time had flown.

Sonic nodded. "Yep, so I guess this is where I say goodbye for now."

"No, you don't say goodbye," she corrected. "You say, see yah later!" she giggled.

He grinned at her cuteness. "You're right." Sonic leaned in and pecked her on the lips. Sally blushed at his quick peck and touched her lips. "In that case, I'll see you later, Sal," he said turning on his heel and waving his farewell.

Sally smiled as she watched her fiancé walk off, almost in a daze as she felt butterflies form in her stomach. These were the moments when she realized it was right. "See you later," she waved slowly.

•~•


	20. Unified

**AN:** Hey guys, I feel like I'm still super slow on the updates, but hopefully you aren't too upset about that. The school year is coming to a close, and once that happens I'll be able to update more frequently. Thank you to the three people who left a review on my last chapter. That appreciation goes to Kimberly Rosivel Lopez, risingzero1984, and aliciathewolf45! Like I said before, this story is going to have quite a lot of chapters, so I hope y'all are ready for the long haul. Enjoy!

•~•

Today was the day. She never wanted it to sound bad, but Sally was absolutely terrified of what was to become of her life. Sure, she loved Sonic, and she knew this commitment would be beneficial to her pack, but she had always struggled with doubts and second thoughts. Sally had never been one to commit to anything; she had always been a bit of a free spirit and never wanted to be tied down to anything. And she absolutely hated to upset or disappoint people in her life, which brought another thought—what if she disappointed Sonic?

The brown chipmunk shook her head, coming out of her dark void of thoughts and returned to her current location, the dressing room. She couldn't keep thinking so negatively like this, what if it all turned out fine? "Are you okay?" another voice broke through, breaking her inner turmoil. Sally glanced at the young makeup artist finishing the final touches to her makeup.

"Oh," she smiled sheepishly, realizing her face must have been contorting into all sorts of emotions. "I'm fine," she lied with a smile.

The young makeup artist smiled back at her, before walking away to grab a mirror. "Here," she spoke, handing her a hand mirror. "How does it look?"

Sally took hold of the mirror, glancing at her reflection. "Wow…" She looked absolutely flawless. In fact, Sally had never seen herself look so beautiful. She had always been pretty confident with her appearance, but now she looked quite feminine, but still held a lot of her old traits that were now just enhanced by the makeup. Sally lowered the mirror to look at her artist. "Thank you so much. I look beautiful."

"No problem," she waved. "Good luck with the wedding and congrats!" she smiled before exiting the room.

Sally stood up from sitting. "Thank you." With that, she walked over to a platform with a standing mirror. Some of the other female werewolves helped tend Sally as stood in front of her standing length mirror, staring back at her reflection, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. She watched as they smoothed out any wrinkles. Then it finally dawned on her, she couldn't believe how beautiful she looked, especially since she wasn't used to being in a dress or even dolled up with makeup. Despite all that, she still looked herself, which was nice.

One of the girls in the room finished the last stage by putting on her veil. As she took one final long glance at her appearance it began to really sink in. She was going to be married to Sonic for the rest of her life. They had only been together for a couple of months, and she absolutely loved him, but would she truly love him forever as planned? The doubts were starting to make her second guess herself again.

Coming out of her daunting thoughts, Sally smiled at the girls assisting her as they waited for a comment from her. "Thank you for helping me get ready girls, but you do you guys mind if you give me a minute to myself?"

The girls bowed their heads and left the room, giving Sally some much-needed privacy. Once alone, Sally paced inside the room slowly, trying to calm her nerves until a sudden knock drew her attention away. She groaned, wishing whoever it was on the other side would leave her alone. She feigned an upbeat tone. "Who is it?" she called out.

"It's Caleb," she heard muffled on the other side of the door. "You decent?"

Her eyes widened with interest. What could he possibly want at this moment? "Oh, yes, you can come in," she replied. With that said, the door cracked open and the dingo stepped inside the room looking quite suave in his black tux. But as his eyes looked in her direction, he grew tongue-tied by her appearance. She looked absolutely divine and mature in her wedding gown. It was definitely a little foreign for him to see Sally in such a way since she had always been quite the tomboy growing up. With his prolonged silence, Sally titled her head by his silence. "Um, do you need something, Cal," she questioned a bit uncomfortably.

Caleb rubbed the skin between his eyes, cringing a bit from his apparent gawking. "Shit…sorry about that, I-I just never seen you in a dress before."

She giggled lightly by his comment. "I mean, I've never seen you in a tux before either," she countered. "You clean up well, but I expected to see you in your usual plaid shirts, a pair of dark wash jeans, and combat boots," she giggled.

"Heh, you know me well, but even if I was allowed to dress however I wanted, I still would have cleaned myself up for you," he smiled. Sally looked touched by the comment and returned a weak smile. "Anyway, I actually came here to give ya something," he said rummaging around in his coat jacket pocket.

Sally clasped her hands together as she watched him fumble around inside his jacket for the gift. "Oh, you didn't have to get me anything," she smiled reluctantly.

"Well, I wanted to anyway. It's your special day after all!" Finally finding the item, he revealed a robin egg colored, rectangular, box. Opening it up, inside was a necklace on a silver chain, with a silver half moon and blue oval stone.

Sally placed a hand over her mouth, honored by the thoughtful and sentimental piece. "Oh, Caleb…It's beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I picked out your birthstone and everything. The stone symbolizes healing and courage, and after everything you've done for our pack, I'd say that's just about right," he grinned with a chuckle.

"I don't know what else to say, but thank you," she replied softly.

Caleb took the necklace out of the box and walked behind her, moving her hair to the side to place the piece on. "You don't have to say much, and I know things have been moving pretty fast around here, but I want to officially re-welcome you back into our pack. I feel confident that you and Sonic will lead us well," he said, finishing securing the necklace.

Sally turned around to face him and leaned in giving him a soft peck on the cheek. "I promise not to run away from my duty this time. Sonic and I will protect this pack with our lives."

Caleb smiled back; feeling his strained relationship with her was truly starting to mend. He stared back into her sky blue eyes, sharing a moment with her. Realizing their gaze was lasting a little longer than he was comfortable with, Caleb stepped back. "Yikes, hey now, we've already wasted time in here being sappy, you've got a wedding to attend!"

Sally glanced at the clock on the wall to her left, noticing they were now tardy. "Crap, you're right!" She reached out and grabbed his hand, dragging him out of the changing room. "Let's go!"

•~•

Outside, all the guests sat in their assigned seating as they waited for the wedding to begin. In the back row, Shadow, Rosy, Silver, Blaze, and Faith shifted in their seats as time ticked past the scheduled event. At the front at the makeshift altar, Sonic tugged at the collar of his suit, growing antsy. Mary, playing the officiator of the ceremony, calmly patted him on the shoulder reassuringly after seeing his anxiety flourish. "Don't be so fidgety, Sonic."

He shot her an apologetically sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, I was just wondering what was taking Sal so long…"

"I'm sure she's just shaking out last minute nerves," Mary opined.

He tucked his arms behind his back, straightened his posterior, and swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Meanwhile, in the back row, Shadow looked at his wristwatch, also growing concern for the bride's whereabouts. "Did Sally get cold feet and skip town again? What could possibly be taking the girl so long?" Shadow mumbled impatiently under his breath.

Rosy reached out and rested a hand on his knee, trying to ease his boredom and frustration. "I'm sure everything is fine, just give it a few more minutes."

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest, sinking into his seat. "I'll be rather peeved to find out all these decorations go to waste if she ends up jumping ship. I spent a great deal of thought and time into making sure everything was perfect."

Rosy laughed lightly at him. "I'm sure Sally won't let you down, Shadow. In fact, I'm positive she is very appreciative of all the hard work and planning you put into it for her."

Shadow stuck his nose up in the air arrogantly. "I'm an artist and I have my visions, but I refuse to let them go to waste."

Right on cue, faint piano music began to play and everyone turned in their seats to look behind them. Standing at the end of the aisle was Sally in the flesh, accompanied by Caleb, ready to start the ceremony. The group of guests all stood in unison in respect for the bride, and Sally linked arms with Caleb before gulping nervously. Having all eyes on her was quite intimidating, especially since she never enjoyed having the limelight. Sensing her nerves, Caleb discreetly leaned his head in towards her ear. "Relax, you've got this," he whispered.

At the other end of the aisle, Sonic stared at his future bride to be, in absolute awe. She looked stunning and elegant in her wedding gown. He blinked a few times, completely taken aback by her beauty. Sonic had always found Sally to be pretty, but seeing her in a dress and makeup for the first time really took him aback. Caleb escorted Sally down the aisle as people smiled at the two gliding past them. Blaze linked arms with Silver, feeling herself grow excited for her own special day. "My goodness, she looks angelic," the feline whispered. "I can't wait to get married."

Silver smiled softly at Blaze. "I can't wait either."

It felt like a long walk, but in reality, it was only a short one. Once they finished their journey down the aisle, Caleb unlinked arms with Sally and stood off to the side by Sonic as best man.

Mary looked out to the crowd now that Sonic and Sally were reunited together and waited for the music to fade out. Once the music stopped, Mary began the service by opening her book. "You may be seated," she instructed. With her command, the entire crowd sat down in their seats.

Sonic stared at Sally, causing her to blush slightly by his admiring expression. "You look beautiful," he whispered quietly.

"Thanks, you look quite handsome yourself," she replied back softly. He reached out and took her hands in his to begin the ceremony.

Once having the room's attention, Mary flipped a page. "We gather together as a community seeking peace, inspired by the union of this couple before you. There was a time when werewolves saw themselves not as cursed but as blessed with a connection to our most pure selves. And tonight, we honor that blessing with the long-awaited unification of these two bloodlines." Mary lowered her book and set it on a pedestal, pulled out some ivy from her robe, and began to wrap it around both Sonic and Sally's wrists so they were linked as they held hands. "In doing so, we chose to embrace Sonic's vampire nature. With this union, Sonic will share his unique gifts with his pack." Mary cleared her throat, "And now, we will hear their vows. Sonic, you begin," she instructed.

With their wrist still bound together, Sonic gave her hands a gentle squeeze before starting. "I pledge to honor and defend you and yours above all others," he stated proudly.

Sally returned his gentle squeeze before going herself. "And to share blessings and burdens. I'll be your advocate, your champion…"

"—I'll be your comfort, your sanctuary," he continued, "And for as long as we both shall live…"

"…I'll be your family," she added.

"I'll be your family," he repeated with a sincere heartfelt smile.

Mary looked pleased with their recited vows. "You two have endured all the traditional werewolf rituals and trials." Mary lifted Sally's veil, tucking the excess over the top of her head. "There's only one left remaining," she said, smiling knowingly at the blue hedgehog. "Sonic, you may now kiss your bride."

Sonic leaned in, closed his eyes, and gave her a kiss. Sally closed her eyes for the kiss, giving him a romantic smooch in return. When the two pulled away Sally looked at Sonic's viridescent eyes, seeing them flash bright yellow for a moment and showing his hybrid side kick in. Sonic looked surprised when he saw Sally's eyes suddenly show a similar effect. Even though she was still just a normal werewolf, she would now gain his vampire abilities without ever having to commit to becoming a full-fledged hybrid. Sally would now be able to control when she turned, have super speed in her mortal form, and would also be immortal.

The married couple looked out to the crowd of werewolves and realized they were having similar reactions. All of the pack looked at each other as their eyes flashed yellow, confirming the ritual had affected them as well. All of Sonic's unique gifts were now shared amongst the pack. In the back rows, Shadow, Rosy, Blaze, and Silver smiled happily as they watched the guests around them react in joy to gaining Sonic's abilities. "It really worked," Rosy mumbled in delight.

"It's a new beginning for this pack and they will be a force to be reckoned with," Shadow noted.

With that, Mary cut the vine binding their wrists and the two were allowed to walk down the aisle together. Their guests cheered on either side of them, tossing rice as they left hand in hand.

•~•

At the wedding reception, guests swayed on the dance floor, while others sat at tables eating food or talking to other guests. In the middle of the dance floor, the bride and groom shared their first dance as they swayed to a slower melody. Sally was completely engrossed in the moment, resting her head on Sonic's shoulder with her eyes closed as they swayed together.

One of the couples that danced along with the newlyweds but in the background were Silver and Blaze. The two did a simple waltz together lost in their own thoughts. After experiencing an emotional and beautiful wedding, Blaze had begun to think more on her own happily ever after. Mulling over a concern that had been bugging her for a while, Blaze lifted her head away from Silver's shoulder to look him in the eye. "…Silver?"

"Hm?" he hummed, coming out of his own thoughts and giving her his full attention.

"I was wondering something…and please don't feel like you need to sugar coat it for me."

He kept her eye contact, curious to know her question. "Fair enough, what are you wondering?"

She gulped nervously and her ears fell, solemnly. "It seems very apparent that with me remaining mortal, there will come a time when we will have to part ways. As in, I won't be around forever," she clarified. "I was just wondering if you'd truly stay by my side and love me even when I become an old hag…"

Silver looked completely taken aback by her grim thought. "Blaze, you think I'd be that cruel to abandon you because you've grown old?"

Blaze glanced away, feeling uncertain as they continued their slow dance. "You may find me to be a burden and I know there's no way you'll be attracted to me at that point…Just look at Shadow and Amy for instance, they will always stay young and feel youthful because of their immortality. Even Sonic and Sally will have similar outcomes now."

"The fact that you're even questioning me is insulting, but I am here to tell you that I will never leave your side, Blaze."

"You're just saying that now…" Her head sagged, still not completely on board with his claim. "Silver, don't-"

He reached out and cupped the side of her face with one hand. "Look at me, Blaze," he ordered softly. "I love you and I entered this relationship knowing what I was getting myself into. I will never force or suggest for you to become like me. I asked you to marry me because I believe in till death do us part."

Blaze felt tears form in her eyes from his sincerity. "You're too good for me, you know that?" she sniffed, trying to hold back tears.

"You're wrong, you're the one who is too good. I'm lucky to even have a girl like you in my life," he corrected with a smile.

Blaze wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in and kissed him. Silver closed his eyes as his lips met hers and the two shared a romantic smooch.

Meanwhile, Shadow and Rosy watched the newlyweds from one of the nearby tables as they sat together. "I'm pleased everything went down accordingly," Rosy hummed while leaning her chin in the palm of her right hand.

"Did you expect it not to go well?" he probed, raising a brow.

"Well, it seems like nothing goes smoothly for us, so yes, I was expecting a turn of events. Not that I wanted it to happen," she quickly clarified.

"I see your point," Shadow noted before taking a glance at the stroller parked by her side. "How's the little one holding up?"

Rosy peeked into the stroller only to smile at Faith who was now completely knocked out and taking her afternoon nap. "She's asleep. Thank goodness she didn't act up during the ceremony. She was an absolute angel back there."

Shadow smiled proudly. "That's my girl."

•~•

Back with the newlyweds, Sally lifted her head from Sonic's shoulder to look him in the eye. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

"Great," she replied. "What about you?"

"Just as well," he answered with a grin.

"I want you to know that I'm glad I did this."

He shot her a baffled look. "Did what?"

"Married you," she responded with a giggle. "Ever since we've been together, you've never made me feel unworthy. You've always believed in me, found me to be beautiful even when I didn't put in the effort to get glammed up. I feel like you've made me a better person."

Sonic looked touched by her words. "Aw, Sal, you're gonna make me cry. What you just said—some of those same things apply to how you make me feel. You've never judged me for my past. You gave me the chance to get to know me for me. If anything, _you've,_ made me a better person."

Sally moved her hands so they wrapped around his neck loosely and moved her face in closer towards him. "Oh, Sonic…" He closed his eyes closing the gap between them.

Sitting at another table, Caleb watched the two kiss and felt the sting of jealousy build up in him. This could have easily been his day with Sally, but he knew deep down that this marriage between she and Sonic was a better move for the pack. Seeing his mood damper, Andrew placed a hand on his shoulder to pull him out of his thoughts. "This was the right move, man."

"I know it was," he agreed. "This is a new beginning for our pack. I'm happy that we inherited Sonic's gifts, but I'm still processing my move to step down as alpha. I never thought there would be a day I'd see that happen."

"I get it, man, but Sonic's gonna do a good job." Andrew looked down at his hands, squeezing and relaxing his hands a few times. "But can you feel the power surging through your veins?"

Caleb nodded. "I felt it the moment Sonic and Sally walked back down the aisle. It's strange but comforting to know the strength we've gained."

"Our pack will be a strong force. No opposing pack will stand a chance against us," he grinned arrogantly.

"I'm not worried about opposing packs, but I'm more concerned about opposing forces," Caleb corrected. "With newfound power comes new enemies," he foreshadowed. "It'll only be a matter of time before something more sinister comes our way. We'll just have to hope we'll be prepared for it."


	21. The Other Girl in Station Square

**AN: ** Another chapter down, phew! This is also a pretty good one as we're getting back into the nitty-gritty. Thank you Janttun3n, MissMJS, Captain, CrimsonDestroyer, risingzero1984, and aliciathewolf45 for the reviews left on my last chapter! Now, onto the reading segment. I hope you guys enjoy!

•~•

The next day, Rosy, Silver, and Blaze walked around the farmer's market in town to pick up some fresh goods. With a large line behind him, Silver handed over some money to a friendly merchant in a food truck. Once taking the money, the cashier handed him two lemonade slushies. "Thank you," he smiled. The white hedgehog sauntered over to another stand selling fresh produce, where he found Rosy and Blaze checking out the eggplants on display. "Got the drinks," he announced behind the two.

Blaze turned and kindly accepted one of the drinks from him. "Great, I'm parched." The feline took a sip of her drink, humming in delight by the refreshing flavor. "Mmm, perfect!"

Silver watched as Rosy continued to look for the best produce. "You sure you don't want one, Amy? I can always go over and buy another," he suggested, offering out his own drink.

Rosy shook her head with a smile. "Oh, no, it's okay. I'm alright at the moment."

"All right, but you're missing out," he said before taking a long sip.

Rosy looked over to the other side of the tent, spotting some rather attractive looking lettuce heads. "I'm going to check the other side to look for some cabbage, be right back." Blaze and Silver acknowledged her comment, before going back to shopping themselves.

As Rosy wandered over to the other side through the crowd, she looked to her left briefly, only to spot a male black cat in his 40s, staring at her with a hardened expression. She looked away for a moment, only to look back and see that he was keeping his eyes on her as she kept walking. Feeling a little unnerved by his gaze, she took another turn, only to bump into another male, but this time a teal porcupine in his late 20s. "Oh, excuse me," she politely apologized, before seeing the male also shared an equally harsh expression. "Sorry about that…" she said, backing away timidly.

Who were these guys and why did they look at her with such disdain? Did they know her from somewhere, or were they just in really bad moods today? Feeling that something wasn't right, Rosy looked over to where Silver and Blaze last stood and felt her heart drop, when she realized they were no longer in sight of the busy marketplace. She began to frantically look for them up and down the street and in the crowds. "Silver, Blaze!" she called out.

She passed an alleyway when suddenly she felt a strong shove from behind, forcing her face first into the ally. Rosy yelped as she landed on the cobblestone, bumping and scraping up her arms during her fall. Quickly, she turned over to see who had pushed her and came face to face with the black cat and teal porcupine. "What do you two want from me?" she snapped, as she stood upright.

The black cat began to ascend towards her, only making her back further away. "You will die for what you've done."

"And what's that? I haven't done anything wrong!" Rosy stuck her right hand out, hoping to perform some sort of magic attack, but found that nothing was happening. She grunted in frustration and repeated the action, striking her arm out at him. "Oh, C'mon!"

The two males continued to approach her, but the black cat pulled out some sort of mystical rattle and began to shake it in the air. Out of nowhere, Rosy gripped the sides of her head, crying out in pain as she fell to her knees. Whatever this rattle was, it was giving her a huge migraine, deprecating any movement to escape. "Stop it!" she begged.

He continued to shake the rattle as he reached out to grab her, but a silver blur raced in and slammed into the black cat, sending him flying into the nearby stonewall. The blur continued its attack, slamming into the porcupine and sending them hurtling into some cargo boxes. Feeling the pain diminish, Rosy looked up only to see Silver kneeling in front of her. His amber eyes held concern, as he looked her over. "Amy, are you okay?"

Blaze came running around the corner after trying to keep up with Silver's speed. She panted but smiled in relief once she saw the two were okay. "There you are! What's going on?"

Rosy looked over at the now unconscious males around them. "These witches attacked me for no reason."

Blaze approached them, recognizing their matching tribal tattoos. "They're from the Shrine coven," she noted. "Witches don't often attack their own kind. Whatever their reason is, it must be pretty bad."

"I don't believe that there'd be only two trying to hurt you. I'm sure more are on their way." Silver stood up, helping Rosy stand with him. "We need to get out of here."

•~•

Back home, Shadow consoled Rosy in the living room after hearing about what happened in town. The couple sat on the couch together, while Shadow sat close to the pink hedgehog, bandaging her cuts and scrapes. "Other than these cuts, they didn't hurt you, did they?"

Rosy shook her head. "No, but they definitely intended to. Whoever they were, they recognized me, not 'me' me, but whoever I'm currently inhabiting. Whoever this Rosy Rascal is, they want her dead."

Shadow finished tending to her wounds. "I won't hear anything of it, whoever these people are, we'll find them and show them their anger is unwise."

Sitting in one of the chairs nearby, Blaze looked wary of the threat. "Shadow, you don't want to mess with that coven. They don't play around when it comes to keeping their people safe," Blaze advised. "Besides, we don't need to involve ourselves in any more unnecessary drama."

"Then what do you propose we do?" he questioned. "Sit around and wait for more of them to come and attack us?"

"No, I have another idea in mind." Her eyes looked over at her fiancé, standing in the entryway of the living room. "Silver and I will visit the Asylum where Rosy was being held. There, we'll try to get some answers; meanwhile, you and Amy can stay here for precaution. It's not a good idea to be out and about today with that coven on the hunt for her."

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest and sank back into the cushions. "Very well, but good luck trying to get any information. I don't think they'll give up confidential information easily," he noted.

"I think by combining both of our charming personalities, Silver and I will be able to pull some strings," Blaze smiled optimistically.

•~•

That afternoon, Silver and Blaze made their way downtown towards Station Square Asylum together. As they walked down the sidewalk, past other people, a thought crossed Silver's mind. "So, do you know anything about this place?"

"I've heard rumors before, but honestly, I don't know much about it," she replied truthfully.

"What kind of rumors?"

She shrugged for a moment, not thinking much about the gossip she had heard over the years. "Well, when I was a little girl, my mother used to tell me this was where the bad witches would go—ones that were truly mentally unstable. After all, mental illness doesn't discriminate against anyone, including supernatural beings."

They turned a corner together. "So this isn't a mental institute for mortals, but it poses as one?" he inquired.

"Correct."

•~•

In the living room, Shadow flipped through channels looking for something to watch on TV. Going through the stations idly, Shadow sighed at his options and tossed the remote back on the coffee table. Nothing was really captivating him anyway, but when he heard footsteps, Shadow craned his neck only to see Rosy making her way towards him. "Everything alright upstairs?" he inquired.

"Yes, Faith just needed a new diaper," she explained making her way over to the couch. "But she's settled now and down for her nap." Rosy curled up on her side on the couch next to Shadow and rested her head on his lap.

"Looks like someone else could use a nap too," he smirked, looking down at her.

"I've been so tired lately since I've been in this new body," she groaned, closing her eyes. "Can you just stroke my quills or something?" Obliging, Shadow used his left hand and began stroking her quills softly in a downward motion, giving Rosy goosebumps from his gentle touch. Rosy smiled at the sensation. "Mmm, that's nice."

Shadow smiled down lovingly at her. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."

Rosy opened her eyes for a moment and turned slightly so she could look up at him. "Do you think I'll ever get my old body back?"

He looked slightly surprised by her question, especially with everything she had expressed to him prior to her body swap. "Are you insinuating that you'd like to return to your vampire status?"

"Well, yes and no," she spoke truthfully. "I like being mortal again, but I'm not sure if I'm happy with the body I've been placed in. I miss my old body."

"Blaze promised she'd find a way to get you back into your old body and I intend to help her find the solution."

Rosy smiled up at him. "Thanks, Shadow."

The doorbell rang and both hedgehogs seemed startled by the unannounced visitor. Rosy sat upright, allowing Shadow to get up to answer the door.

The ebony hybrid wandered over to the front door and opened it, but when he saw who was standing on the other side, he looked shocked. Standing there was who he thought was his older brother still possessing the red and black armadillo. "Mephiles?" he gawked.

•~•

Back at the Asylum, Silver and Blaze sat in the waiting room, waiting to meet with the hospital director. It had been at least thirty minutes, but finally, an office door opened up, and a large green crocodile stepped out. His blue eyes spotted the pair and he walked over to greet them. "You must be Blaze and Silver. My name is Vector."

The pair stood from their seats and formally shook his hand each. "Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice," Silver smiled warmly.

"No worries. Please, step into my office," he smiled kindly. Vector shepherd the two into his room and closed the door behind him before walking over to the chair behind his desk. In the meantime, Silver and Blaze sat at the two seats provided in front of his desk. The crocodile sank down into his seat and clasped his hands over the table. "So, what can I help you two with on this fine day? I heard you had some inquiries about our facility?"

"Well," Silver began. "We were hoping you could provide us with some knowledge on one of your patients. Specifically, Rosy Rascal."

And with that, Vector's professional demeanor dropped from friendly into caution. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you leave my office and my facility immediately."

Blaze shot him a bewildered look. "Why, just because we mentioned one of your patients?"

Vector rose from his seat. "I have the right to ask people to leave my property. Clearly, your intentions here are not professional. Now, if I have to call security to remove you, I will do so."

Silver held eye contact with him as his eyes began to dilate. "You will do no such thing." At that moment, Vector was held under his compulsion as he stared back at the vampire. "I want you to sit and answer our questions."

Following his instructions, Vector sat back down in his seat. "What do you want to know?"

•~•

At that same time, back at the house, Shadow didn't seem pleased to see Mighty on his property. "You can go to hell if you think I'm allowing you inside my home," Shadow warned.

Mighty put up his hands up, showing no harm. "Look, I know what you're thinking and you're correct to think that, but I swear, your brother no longer resides in me," Mighty pledged.

Shadow lowered his guard for a moment. "What now?"

Mighty lowered his arms, seeing he was getting to the hybrid. "I know that for months my body was under your brother's control, but he's gone now," he explained.

Shadow eyed him skeptically. "So, if it is true, then why are you here? You have no business with me."

Behind Shadow, Mighty's caught movement, and his eyes naturally peered over his shoulder where he spotted Rosy staring in his direction. "I'm actually here for her," he pointed.

With no other words exchanged, Shadow sucker punched the armadillo in the face, sending him flying off his front porch. Mighty landed on his back with a thud. "Like hell, I'm letting you anywhere near her!" Shadow said, cracking his knuckles as he walked down the front steps, to continue his assault.

Mighty grumbled as he rolled over on the ground, now with a bloody nose. He touched underneath his nostrils and looked at the blood on his fingertips. "Wait, I'm not here to fight you, but you must understand that she is dangerous!" he pleaded frantically.

Shadow bent over and grabbed Mighty by the collar, yanking him off his feet. Mighty stared back into Shadow's terrifying red eyes. "I know what your intentions are." He pulled his other arm back, punching him in the face before letting him fall into the dirt again.

Rosy watched from the doorway, worrying for Shadow's safety as well as her own. Mighty, on the other hand, spit up blood, letting it collect into a puddle beneath him. "Please, you must believe me, I'm not here to hurt her. I'm here to help you." He reached into his satchel and pulled out a thick manila envelope and tossed it a few feet in front of him. "If you don't believe me, read this and get back to me once you want my help." He wiped his lower lip with the back of his arm. "My contact information is provided inside."

Rosy came outside and walked over to the manila envelope, bent over, and picked it up. Shadow shot her a bewildered look for even considering coming outside in the first place. "Amy, get back in the house!"

She hugged the envelope against her chest. "What if he's telling the truth?"

"No, he's just like the others. Now get in the house right now!" he spoke sternly. "I'll finish him."

Amy tried to look back at the witch as Shadow pushed her back towards the house, but the ebony hedgehog blocked her view. "But Shadow."

"What?" he snapped, stopping momentarily.

She blinked a few times as she looked behind them. "He's gone." Shadow turned, only to see that Mighty had vanished from sight.

•~•

A few minutes later, the door unlocked and Silver and Blaze returned to the house. Shadow and Amy were in the kitchen, cleaning up while Faith sat in her booster chair. "We're back," Blaze called out as she hung up her coat and purse by the front door. Shadow peeked his head out of the kitchen, eager to hear what they learned. "So, did you get any information?"

The two gathered in the kitchen, taking seats at the kitchen table. "We got plenty," Silver replied. "It just took a bit of compulsion to get it out of him."

Rosy wiped down a plate with a rag as she leaned against the sink. "So let's hear it then."

"Well, it turns out Rosy Rascal has been on a downward spiral for years now. She's been using forbidden magic—black magic," Blaze specified. "And she's become rather power hunger. It turns out she was kidnapping young witch children off the streets and doing human sacrifices in order to gain more power."

Rosy placed a hand over her mouth after hearing just some of the history of her new body. "Oh my god…"

Silver nodded solemnly. "Yes, that's why she was placed in Station Square Asylum by her own coven. The facility keeps Rosy under control. Apparently, when she's at the institute, they prescribed her some sort of herbal remedy that keeps her magic ineffective."

"So, I'm guessing that the people you guys ran into earlier this morning happened to be members of her old coven?" Shadow surmised.

"More than likely," Blaze nodded. "Since word has spread of Rosy's escape, the coven has made it a mission to find and bring her back. Unfortunately, not everyone in the coven has the same motives…"

Rosy blinked a few times, growing concerned by Blazes' tone. She walked over to the table and stood by Shadow's side. "What kind of motives?"

Blaze looked hesitant on revealing the information, especially since she didn't want to frighten Amy more than needed. "…There is a fringe group that would like to publically execute Rosy for her crimes against their children."

Rosy felt her heart sink and Shadow sensed her distress. He reached out with his arm and wrapped it around her waist. "Don't worry, we're not going to let that happen, Rose."

"We need to let them know that the real Rosy is gone. I've taken over her body for the meantime, but once I return to my old body, we'll hand Rosy over to the Asylum," she rationalized.

Shadow nodded in agreement. "I agree, but I think it's time we tell Silver and Blaze about our visitor we had today."

"What now?" Silver asked.

"The _real_ Mighty visited our home today and provided us a folder with information regarding Rosy Rascal. He was doing his best to convince us that he was not here to hurt Amy, but he was here to help us with something else."

"The real Mighty?" Blaze repeated. "Then that means..."

"—Mephiles is gone for good this time?" Silver finished.

Shadow nodded. "Yes, I don't know how or who banished him from his host, but his presence is gone."

Blaze looked relieved by the good news. "Then that means my friend is back for good. Shadow, I can promise you that we can trust him. Mighty is an excellent witch and a loyal friend of mine."

"Uh, my apologies then," Shadow grumbled apologetically. "Although I sensed Mephiles was no longer inhabiting him, I still held my paranoia and viewed him as a threat. So, I may have been a little rough with him..."

" _A little_ is an understatement," Rosy piped in passively.

Blaze looked disappointed with his words. "Shadow, you didn't…"

The ebony hedgehog raised his hands up. "I said I was sorry."

The feline stood from her seat. "Well, I'm going to get in contact with him and have him come over tomorrow to help us out."

•~•

Later that evening, Shadow and Rosy sat in the study analyzing the information Mighty had left them with. Spread out on a coffee table before them, were reports after reports on the pink hedgehog. Rosy flipped through some files, reading the reports collected on her over the years. Shadow sat on the other side of the room, reading some of the other files she had already gone over but was not pleased with the reports.

Rosy sighed after reading another horrifying report and lowered the paper. "Blaze and Silver were right. It's all in here, every horrible thing Rosy Rascal has ever done."

"If you ask me, it's a good thing you took over her body then," Shadow mumbled. "Anyone who does these kind of things to children has it coming."

"I'm no saint here, Shadow," Rosy countered. "You could view me as being quite deplorable. After all, I did take over her body without her consent."

Shadow placed the papers on his desk and stood. "I'm not trying to argue with you, Amy, I'm just saying maybe it's a blessing in disguise this happened."

"I guess I can see your point, but it still feels dirty," she shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself.

Shadow glanced at the clock on the wall seeing how late it was getting. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to head to bed. I don't want to focus too much more on these reports. They're hard enough to fathom that someone could do this to an innocent child."

"It's definitely scary," she concurred before reaching over and grabbing another bunch of papers to sort through. "But I'll be joining you in a bit."

Shadow eyed her warily. "You sure?"

She glanced up at him briefly. "I just want to read up on her a little more, don't worry I'll be there in an hour or so."

"Alright, just don't get too consumed by it." He turned on his heel and headed out of the room. "Night."

"Night," she smiled before getting back to her reading.

•~•

Later that night, Silver and Blaze were sound asleep in their bed after a long day. In the other parts of the house, Faith soundly slept in her crib, as well as Shadow who was sleeping in the next room over. In the study, Rosy had fallen asleep on the couch after trying to keep her eyes open to read one more report. Files and papers were scattered all over the coffee table as well as on the floor now from her research.

Rosy turned over onto her side until her eyes unexpectedly shot open. Slowly, she sat upright, looking at her surroundings before swinging her legs off the side of the couch and getting up and leaving the room in stoic strides.

•~•

Meanwhile, in town by the docks, a young teen weasel couple made out on the desolate boardwalk, illuminated under a flickering streetlight. Footsteps approached and an unsettling giggle rang out. The boy and girl pulled apart from their make-out session, to look at their unannounced spectator. "Don't you kids know better than to be out this late?" Rosy scolded with her head tilted at an angle.

"Who the hell are you?" the boy asked, looking annoyed that their moment was interrupted.

Rosy chose to ignore his question as she continued to walk towards them slowly with her hands behind her back. "You never know what kind of twisted freak you might run into at this time. You could run into a rapist, a pervert, or Rosy Rascal," she finished with a twisted grin as she revealed a large knife that had been hidden behind her back.

The boy stared in horror, frozen in fear just as Rosy swung her weapon, slitting the boy's throat. His girlfriend screamed in horror as her boyfriend dropped to the floor, gagging and clutching his neck. Rosy stepped over his body as he took his last breath, and used her free hand to place the girl in a freeze hold. "Now, now, don't you go anywhere." The young teen trembled as she was immobilized.  
Rosy stopped just in front of her and grabbed her chin with one hand as she pointed the knife at her forehead. "I don't intend to let you go anywhere until I take every last drop of your power," she hissed. Tears streamed down her face as Rosy used her knife to carve a symbol into her forehead.

•~•

Later that night, in a warehouse, Rosy finished dragging her latest victim and placed the young teen girl in a spell circle. She dusted off her hands and looked around the room at the other victims she had collected over the past few days. Every child there had the same grave symbol carved into their forehead as they laid unconscious in their own spell circle. Every night at a certain point, Rosy had been gaining control over her old body and sneaking out at night to hunt down young children and collect them to siphon their power. So far, she only had five children, but she planned to add to her collection soon enough.


	22. Wanted

AN: Well, I'm officially out of school for the year. Now I'm about to hop on a cruise this Sunday so I thought I'd give you guys something to read and enjoy in my absence. I'll continue working on the future chapters once I return. Once again, thank you to those that continue to support my stories!

•~•

The next morning, with papers still all over the floor and coffee table, Rosy grumbled in her sleep on the sofa, haunted by a nightmare. Flashes of the night before plagued her thoughts as she relived the events. A memory of when she had slashed that poor boy's throat with her knife and heard the screams of his girlfriend in the background reverberated in her mind. Another quick flash showed her carving a symbol into the girl's forehead. Horrified by the images, Rosy shot upright from the nightmare panting frantically and trying to catch her breath.

As Rosy calmed her panic attack, the doors to the study opened and Shadow peeked his head inside he looked concerned when he saw Rosy still in the same spot from last night. "Amy, what are you doing in here? Why didn't you come to bed last night?"

Rosy rubbed at her eyes, trying to recall why she hadn't gone to bed like asked. "I'm not sure," she mumbled tiredly. "I guess I just fell asleep here last night."

Shadow eyed her appearance, noticing the dark bags under her eyes and disheveled quills. "You look like hell."

Rosy shot him a piqued look by his blunt comment. "Gee, thanks…"

"I'm just being honest," he said with a shrug. "It couldn't have been too comfortable sleeping on that thing all night," he pointed.

She swung her legs off the side of the couch. "Sorry that I look too ugly for you today."

"Oh hush," he scolded playfully with a grin. "You're always beautiful to me, Amy."

Rosy sank in her posture feeling doubtful about his compliment. "You still find me attractive even though I'm in a different body?"

Shadow knelt down to her level looking her in the eyes. "It's not always about what's on the outside. I fell in love with you, Rose. I'm not going to walk away from this relationship just because you look different now."

She gave a weak smile and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when her hearing picked up chanting coming outside their home. Shadow picked up on it too, and stood up, and headed over towards the window. Rosy mimicked his actions and followed him over to the window, where they saw a large crowd of protestors down below. "Who are they?" Rosy questioned.

Shadow eyed their visitors with scrutiny. "I'm not sure." He turned on his heel, leaving the room but Rosy tried to follow him.

"Shadow, what are you doing?"

He glanced at her quickly as he exited the room. "Just stay put," he ordered, "I'll handle this," he finished before heading downstairs.

•~•

Outside, a group of hostile witches convened in Shadow's front yard and marched in protest. "We want Rosy," one witch shouted.

"Yeah, bring her out here now!" another clamored.

A female iguana pumped her fist into the air. "Give her to us!"

Shadow stormed out his front door and marched down the steps of his porch to address the protestors. Silver and Blaze had overheard the commotion too and left the comfort of the kitchen to stand on the porch to find out what was going on. There were at least fifteen witches of all ages, standing on his property, all looking equally angry in their expression. "Whatever your complication is, if you don't back up, I guarantee it will worsen," Shadow threatened.

"So, you must be the Hybrid," a familiar looking black cat stated, standing in front of the crowd. It was the same one that had confronted Amy at the farmer's market. "Your name is Shadow, is it not?"

On the porch, Silver recognized the cat immediately, recalling back to the day he had knocked him out along with the porcupine after they cornered Amy in an alleyway. "Do you recognize him?" Blaze whispered.

"He's one of the ones that attacked Amy the other day," he whispered back.

Meanwhile, Shadow eyed the black feline and crossed his arms over his chest after hearing his question. "Yes, that's correct. Who are you?"

"My name is Hendrix," he introduced. "I am the reagent of this coven."

"Okay, _Hendrix_ , what the hell do you want?" Shadow asked, trying to act clueless. He knew what they were here for, but he'd be damned if he let them have it.

"We want you to turn over Rosy Rascal," he answered simply.

Shadow scratched underneath his chin, playing up his ignorance. "Who now?"

Hendrix shook his head in pity reading through Shadow's act completely. "Don't play games with me. This is a serious matter. Do you realize you're harboring a renegade witch?"

Shadow shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

Hendrix gave a knowing smile after catching a glimpse of someone in the background. "Is that a fact now?" His eyes directed towards the porch, where Rosy now stood defiantly. Silver and Blaze were holding her back, trying to keep her from intervening in the confrontation.

"Look, there she is!" one of the witches pointed.

Shadow looked in that direction and frowned when he saw her outside. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. Quickly, he rushed over and grabbed her by the arms gently, looking peeved by her presence. "Amy, I told you to stay put inside," he whispered harshly under his breath.

"But you're lying to them, we need to tell them the truth," she urged quietly.

"If you surrender now, we'll make your punishment quick," Hendrix spoke up, interrupting their private conversation.

Groaning in defeat, Shadow walked over with Rosy, making sure to keep her close by his side. "Why are you so eager to take her anyway?"

"Because of the evil she unleashed last night," Hendrix answered. "She needs to be punished."

Rosy looked confused at first, what on Earth had she allegedly done last night?

Shadow seemed baffled too and cocked a brow in befuddlement. "Last night?" he repeated. "What exactly happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Two of our children were attacked unmercifully. One is dead while the other is missing," Hendrix explained. "All eyes lead to her," he finished, looking at Rosy specifically.

As the description left Hendrix's mouth, Rosy began to ponder on the allegations. The description sounded oddly familiar to the nightmare she had, had this morning. Maybe she had done something but without her knowledge. Before she could think too much more on the matter, her thoughts were interrupted when Shadow came to her defense. "Here's the thing though, Rosy Rascal is gone. Her body was taken over by my girlfriend, Amy Rose."

Hendrix didn't seem convinced and tilted his head, not amused by the weak explanation. "Is that your version of an alibi?" Shadow stumbled for a response, confirming Hendrix's fears. "Take her," he ordered. Instinctively, Shadow stood in front of Rosy with his arms outstretched to shield her as he eyed his opponents.

The other witches began to step forward and Rosy cowered behind Shadow, but Silver and Blaze intervened and jumped in, helping surround her. "Wait!" Blaze interjected, making the witches halt. "Shadow is telling the truth, Amy now occupies the body of Rosy Rascal. Therefore, she is innocent of this crime."

"You know no such thing," Hendrix shouted. "Now, step aside and let us take her."

"Hendrix," Shadow interrupted. "You have my word, I will find whoever is responsible and make sure that justice is served," he pledged. "If I'm unable to locate the true one responsible, then you may have her. Just give me some time to piece the clues together," he pleaded.

Hendrix mulled it over for a moment before coming to a decision. "You have until tomorrow. After that, it won't matter what I say. Witches will stop at nothing to protect their children. That's an impulse I know you can respect," he finished eying Shadow. With that said, the witches turned on their heels and left the property in unison.

Shadow, Silver, and Blaze looked relieved to see that had time to figure things out.

•~•

Meanwhile, out in the Mystic Ruins, Sonic and Sally were in the process of sparring along with other pack members. Sally threw hits that Sonic either evaded or blocked with his own arms. Sally did a swing kick that Sonic managed to dodge, but once he came back upright, he threw out his own defense as he began to throw swings in her direction. Ever since the unification ceremony, Sally had felt the changes immediately. She felt stronger, faster, more alert, and better than ever. With a barrage of punches, Sally was able to avoid every hit with ease while she stepped backward, forcing Sonic to follow her with his attacks. "This is incredible," she panted, evading another swing.

Sonic smiled, impressed with her improvements. "It is pretty awesome, huh?"

She leaped backward landing on her feet with grace before doing a charge towards her blue husband. Sonic was knocked onto his back with a thud, and opened his eyes only to see Sally standing above him with a foot held down onto his chest. Her expression beamed victory as she smiled down at him. "I win!"

Sonic caught his breath as he looked up at his wife. Her strength and charisma during the spar was quite a turn on. "Yeah, you won, babe. Now mind helping me up?" he panted.

Sally removed her foot from his chest and extended her arm out towards him, helping him up to his feet. The two walked over and took a moment to wipe their sweat off with a towel and chug some water. They headed back to their cabin and entered their home. "That was some workout, huh?" Sally smiled.

Sonic closed the door behind him and watched as Sally make her way to their bedroom, chugging more water as she walked. "Yeah, it sure was." He followed her into the bedroom and watched as she kicked off her shoes and took off her tank top, leaving her in her sports bra.

Sonic walked over and shoved her onto the bed, startling her momentarily. "Wha—Sonic!" She opened her eyes and found Sonic hovering on top of her, keeping her arms pinned above her head. He looked down at her seductively and leaned in capturing her in a kiss. Sally closed her eyes during the kiss, feeling the passion in it. Sonic released his hold on her hands and they instantly flew to his neck. Sally rustled her hands into his quills, gripping and pulling at them intimately as the kiss intensified. The two rolled around the bed, feeling each other up, moaning and groaning along the way.

Sally sat and took off her top, knowing exactly where this was headed. She tossed it off to the side of the bed just as Sonic dove his face in between her breast, kissing and massaging them with his tongue. Sally released a few soft gasps as he fondled her left breast and lapped at her right nipple. She mewled as she felt him push her further back into the bed. Things were about to get super hot.

•~•

That afternoon, back at the house, Shadow held a family meeting in the living room. Faith sat in her playpen, playing with various stuffed animals while the group of adults sat on the sofas together waiting for their new arrival.

With a knock on the front door, Blaze quickly stood to go answer the door. "Oh, that must be him." A few seconds later, Blaze came back into the room with their guest. "Guys, this is my good friend Mighty Armadillo," she introduced.

Shadow stood up and approached Mighty, extending his hand out for him to shake. Mighty cautiously shook the hybrid's hand, remembering his last confrontation with the hedgehog. Shadow sensed his vigilance as he shook his hand. "My apologies for how I handled our last encounter," he apologized sincerely. "You were a stranger in my eyes and after a recent encounter with another witch, I couldn't be certain."

Mighty finished shaking his hand and gave him an understanding smile. "I understand your reasoning behind it. If I had known you had tied relations to Blaze, I would have reached out to her first as my liaison."

Silver stood up and went to shake his hand too. "My name is Silver," he introduced, shaking his hand. "I'm Blaze's fiancé."

Mighty looked surprised but happy by the title. He looked over to his feline friend. "Fiancé now, huh? I remember when you told me you had just started dating. Anyway, it's nice to finally match a face with a name. Nice to meet you, Silver."

Blaze walked over to Rosy and placed a hand on her shoulder. "And this is Shadow's girlfriend, Amy."

Mighty approached the pink hedgehog, looking on at her in awe. Currently, her appearance and aura appeared much softer and kinder compared to all the pictures he had seen of the real Rosy Rascal. It was obvious that Amy's soul had a gentler side compared to Rosy's sadistic one. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Rose," he smiled shaking her hand.

"Lovely to meet you too," she smiled meekly.

Mighty glanced over to the playpen in the corner and spotted the little pink hedgehog crawling around on the floor and playing with her toys. "Is this your daughter?" he inquired with a smile.

Rosy nodded. "Yes, her name is Faith."

"She's a cutie," he noted before taking a seat along with everyone else.

"She's also a handful at times," Shadow remarked with a chuckle. "Anyway, let's get down to business."

"Right." Mighty clasped his hands together. "So, who wants to fill me in on what's been going on?"

"I'll start," Blaze volunteered. "Rosy's coven has come looking for her, as you must be aware of since you did the same yesterday," she explained. "They believe Amy is guilty of a crime that Rosy would commit. The only problem is, Rosy Rascal is gone. We're trying to prove that she's innocent, but the coven thinks otherwise."

Rosy intertwined her fingers and bit her lower lip at the statement and Mighty stared at her in curiosity. "I see…"

"I believe that there must be a copycat at large," Shadow conjectured. "Amy would never commit such an act."

Rosy looked away and bit her lower lip again, but Mighty was quick to pick up on the idiosyncrasy. "Do you have any thoughts on this, Amy?" he asked kindly. "After all, you are the subject of this discussion, and I can't help but feel you might have something to say..."

"Well I-I…" she began before stopping herself from doubt. "It's just, it's going to sound ridiculous," she quickly dismissed.

Shadow placed a hand on top of hers. "Go on, love," he encouraged.

Rosy gulped as all eyes focused on her. "I-I think Rosy is trying to gain control over her body again…"

"Why do you think that, Amy?" Blaze questioned.

She fiddled with her hands nervously. "Because I keep having these visions…of things that almost seem like memories. They're gruesome ones and I can't help but feel that I may be responsible for them. For example, the two teens that were attacked last night—when Hendrix described what had happened to them, I had a dream earlier this morning of those exact details."

Silver looked at Blaze after hearing her thoughts. "Is this possible? Can the original soul really break through and take over even with the binds that keep them restricted?"

Blaze tapped her chin as she thought about the possibilities. "I've never heard of it happening before, but anything is possible I suppose. What do you think, Mighty?"

"It's definitely a possibility, albeit a rare one," he stated before directing his focus back on Rosy. "Amy, have you felt any oddities in the past couple of days that you can't quite explain?"

"Now that you mention it, I have felt like I've been losing track of time. I've woken up almost every morning feeling exhausted—like I haven't gotten enough sleep. And then, of course, there are these terrible dreams I keep having."

Mighty furrowed his brows as he listened to her symptoms. Based off from what he heard, things were getting very serious. "I assume you've read up on the files I gave you last night?" Shadow and Amy nodded in unison and he looked over to Silver and Blaze. "Are you two aware of Rosy's history?"

"Yes, we know all about it," Silver answered.

"Then you know that Rosy Rascal is not an amateur witch. Because of her dabbling in black magic, her personality grew dark and her mind became corrupt. Although black magic is forbidden, it is very powerful. Rosy doesn't back down from a challenge, so I imagine she has been trying to regain control over her body slowly over time," he explained. "Speaking of which, I forgot to ask this earlier, but why is Amy occupying Rosy's body in the first place?"

"It's a long story," Shadow droned. "But we were trying to get rid of our Mother and Amy used herself as bait to get the job done," he began. "For the past two months, our mother has tried to convince us to cease our vampirism and turn over a new leaf by starting fresh. She planned to place all of us in new bodies so that so that we could 'cleanse' our sins."

"Did you succeed with your plan?" Mighty asked with intrigue.

"We did, but obviously not everything went according to plan," Shadow said as he glanced at Rosy.

"How did Amy end up like this?"

"Our brother, Mephiles, the one who took over your body, placed the bindings on Rosy's body as a vessel for Amy to inhabit," Shadow replied. "I got there too late to stop the spell from occurring…"

"I see, now back to this theory we were talking about," Mighty segued. "Have any of you seen her sleepwalking, or even walking around at night?"

Shadow shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, but just last night she never came to bed…"

Rosy placed her face in her hands as she thought about all the places she could have been in the middle of the night. "Oh no…"

"Don't worry, Amy," Mighty assured. "We're not going to let her take over. Now before we get started, you must know, I was sent here by the Asylum to retrieve Rosy Rascal and return her in order for my friend Aurora's release."

"Aurora's at the asylum?" Blaze stated in surprise.

"Yes, her coven locked her away because they believe she conspired to give Ivy control over her body," he clarified.

"So, do you still plan to return Rosy back to the asylum?"

"I was planning to, but Vector, the director of the institute, just informed me on my way here that he doesn't need my services anymore. Rosy's coven plans to take care of her themselves."

"What's going to happen to the deal for your friend's release, then?" Silver inquired solemnly.

Mighty felt his fist clench at the thought. "It's been tossed out the window, but it doesn't matter. I will get her back!" he said with determination.

"Mighty, if you help us out, I promise that we will help you get your friend back. How does that sound?" Shadow pitched.

"You know, I was taught at a young age that I could never trust the Original family—but that changes today."

Blaze smiled, looking pleased for the alliance formed. "What's the first step to getting Amy back into her old body?"

"I'm going to place a holding spell on Amy to keep Rosy contained while we work on the body swap spell, but I'm going to need some ingredients. I'll need some Anise, Barley, and some witch hazel," he listed.

Blaze rose from her seat, "Perfect, I have those ingredients at my shop. I can take you over there now and we can collect the items for the spell."

Mighty mimicked her actions. "Fantastic, let's get going then. Rosy and Shadow watched as the two friends made their way to the front door.

Silver followed after them but looked back momentarily at the other two. "I'm going to escort Blaze and Mighty on their stop into town. Do you need anything else while we're there?"

Shadow shook his head. "No, we're fine. I'll stay here with Amy and Faith while you run your errand." The group left the house and closed the door behind them, leaving Amy and Shadow alone with their daughter.


	23. Playtime

**AN:** Hey guys, I'm back from vacation and I have a new chapter for you all. I want to thank my loyal readers who leave me reviews in my previous chapter. Those people are the following: Kimberly Rosivel Lopez, CrimsonDestroyer, risingzero1984, Sunny, and Shadrougeforever! You all are the best.

 **Sidenote:** However, this chapter is a bit graphic and may trigger/offend some readers. Reader's discretion is advised.

•~•

Shadow walked over to the playpen and picked up Faith. The infant held onto one of her favorite stuffed animals, a grey wolf as her father carried her. "I'm going to take her upstairs for her nap," he announced, before realizing Rosy was holding her face in her hands, looking pained in her expression. His brows knitted into concern. "Are you alright, love?"

Hearing the concern in his tone, she quickly looked up from her hands. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she lied with a sheepish grin. "I was just thinking of taking a shower."

Shadow held a long pause of silence as he stared her for a moment. She prayed he wouldn't question her further. "…Okay, let me know if you need anything," he said before heading upstairs.

Rosy stood up and headed upstairs herself. Once upstairs, she walked inside their bedroom's bathroom and began to strip from the clothes she had worn for over 24 hours. She knew that her host's soul had been forcing her to sneak out at night and commit horrid acts, and thinking of it made her feel physically and mentally dirty. She pulled her tank top over her head and tossed it to the floor, before unzipping her jeans and kicking them off. Rosy stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, looking at her body now only in her undergarments. "Keep your head up, Amy," she pepped talked. "You are going to get through this."

Just as those uplifting words left her mouth, an electrical current ran through her body. Rosy gasped in pain and held onto the bathroom counter to stabilize herself while the world shuddered around her. "Gah!" Moments later, everything went black, and Rosy looked back at her reflection suddenly appearing darker and more sinister in demeanor. Her mouth curled into a sharp toothy grin. "It's show time," the real Rosy snickered evilly.

•~•

Meanwhile, at Blaze's shop, the three collected the ingredients needed for the spell. As Silver watched the two collect the items, a thought crossed his mind. "Not to sound ungrateful, but why are we not doing the body swapping spell right now instead?"

Mighty put a jar of ingredients back up on the shelf after examining it for its potency. "Because it can only be done at a certain time at night," he answered. "The spell I'll be performing once we get back is just a band-aid to fix the problem until tonight."

"Right," he murmured. "It's just, I'm worried that it's only going to get worse if we don't act on it now," he theorized.

"We're not going to let that happen," Mighty avowed. "Amy just has to wait a couple more hours and then everything will be corrected," he insured.

•~•

Coming out of Faith's bedroom, Shadow entered his own, expecting to hear the water running from Amy's shower, but was taken aback when he found her standing in the bathroom doorway in an enticing pose. Rosy stood, leaned up against the side of the doorframe only in her bra and panties with her chest heaved out. Seeing she had caught his attention, Rosy fluttered her bedroom eyes at him, taunting him defile her.

Not realizing Amy was no longer in control, Shadow eyed Rosy up and down as he took off his leather jacket, tossing it to the side and sauntered towards her. He took in her ample bosom; toned legs, and flat tummy. She slowly swayed her perfect curvy pink figure sensually, rocking her hips from side to side. "So, you changed your mind on that shower I presume?" he smirked seductively.

Rosy drew her left leg up and rubbed it along the other leg in an inviting manner. She bit her lower lip and made a come-hither gesture with her finger. Shadow didn't hesitate and used his vampire speed to race over and bring her into a kiss. Rosy returned the gesture, hungrily kissing the hybrid back. During their heated make out, Rosy managed to pull Shadow's shirt off, leaving him bare as he walked them over towards their bed to continue their session.

Rosy fell back on the bed while Shadow pinned her down playfully. "Mmmm," she purred as Shadow kissed down the side of her neck. "Oooh," she sighed.  
"What's Amy going to think when she finds out about us?" Rosy taunted playfully.

Shadow halted his actions as those words left her mouth. Everything suddenly got very confusing and he lifted himself to look her in the eyes. "What did you just say?"

Rosy grinned up at him with a nefarious expression. "Just who do you think you're making out with right now, mister?"

Shadow quickly removed himself off of her and backed up to study her body language and demeanor. He felt his heart sink as the entire atmosphere shifted in mood. "You're not Amy, are you?"

Rosy sat up and stared at him with glee for fooling him and shook her head giddily. "Nope!"

His brows furrowed by her childish behavior. "Return Amy this instant!" he demanded.

She hummed on the thought for a moment. "Hm, I don't feel like it."

Shadow stormed over and gripped her by the throat looking at her threateningly. "If you don't release her, I'll show you a world of pain and suffering," he growled.

Rosy didn't seem phased by his ultimatum and instead let out a hearty laugh. Confused by her response, Shadow grabbed her by the neck and shoved her back on the bed. "What's so funny?"

"Any harm you do to me, Amy will feel in return. So you'll be hurting your precious girlfriend, too."

Realizing he was losing his power over her, Shadow released his hold on her throat and stepped back. Things were starting to look bleak. If he couldn't force her to return Amy, and he couldn't threaten her with pain, what could he do? "…Just what do you want?"

Rosy said no words and instead lifted her legs above her head, and yanked her panties off, flinging them past Shadow's face. He watched as she sat on the edge of the bed and spread her legs fully exposing her snatch. Shadow's eyes couldn't help but travel downward to take a glance before averting quickly. The pink witch smirked wickedly as she caught his curious peek. "That's right, you know what I'm gonna ask yah to do."

Shadow shook his head, realizing exactly where this was headed. "Absolutely not. I refuse."

Rosy narrowed her eyes by his refusal. "Oh, really? We'll see about that." She raised her right hand towards him and moved it downwards, forcing Shadow's body to obey her commands. Shadow instantly fell to his knees, now at eye level with her pelvis. "Now," she began coyly. "You're going to be a good boy and take a taste."

His fingers clutched the carpet fabric beneath him and he kept his head bowed, refusing to look in her direction. "Like hell, I will," he growled objectively.

"You will." She rolled her shoulders as she leaned further back on the bed. "Because if you don't, I'll permanently banish Amy's soul from controlling my body and you'll _never_ see her again."

His hands shook at the notion. "I don't believe you."

"Don't you, hun? I already have complete control again. So if you want your precious girlfriend to stick around, you're gonna use that tongue of yours and go to town!"

He narrowed his eyes at her, repulsed by her threats. "You're sick."

"You think this is news to me, baby?" She snapped her fingers, making him inch even closer to her nether regions by her control. "Now, put that mouth of yours to work and put some effort into it. I'll be able to tell if you aren't."

Feeling absolutely humiliated and helpless, Shadow leaned in, closed his eyes, and pressed his tongue against the bottom of her slit. He lapped upwards, allowing his tongue to feel her crevices and folds. Rosy shut her eyes and felt her body heat up from his gentle tongue caressing. "Mmm, yes," she practically purred.

Trying to let his mind wander elsewhere, Shadow allowed himself to go into autopilot mode and continued to give her the oral she desired. His tongue dapped near the top, poking and probing her clitoris before heading back down and dapping into her opening sensuously. Rosy felt her entire body shudder in excitement as chills ran down her spine. "Oh, Shadow, I knew you were good, but, aaah, never this good," she moaned.

Shadow let his tongue swirl softly inside her, praying that'd she cum soon so he could be done with this horrid act. He went a little faster, moving his tongue up and down inside her, occasionally flicking at her clitoral hood. Rosy's body shook with anticipation as she felt her build up coming. She let her head fall back and panted. Her chest rose higher and higher as he delved deeper with his tongue. "Yes, yes, keep going," she pleaded.

Shadow could feel her core heat escaping her body and he could smell her pheromones of desire reeking from her body. This girl was incredibly horny and was desperate to be fucked. For a moment, Shadow felt his animalistic side tempted but halted those filthy thoughts from his mind. This was not his girlfriend he was pleasing after all.

Rosy felt his tongue venture further inside her hot passage along with his cold nose pressed up against her folds. "Mmmm, Shadow…" The sensation drove her over the edge and she let out a small whimper, freezing in place as she came, her body practically shaking. Shadow felt her core clench up around his tongue and gently pulled his it out of her, seeing more moistness secrete out of her. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, closed his eyes, and turned his head away in shame. Shadow had never been put in such a position before and feeling powerless like this, infuriated him.

Once she caught her breath, Rosy sat upright and stared at Shadow seductively. "That was pretty amazing. I'd definitely rate you up there pretty high with some of the oral I've received in the past. I can see why Amy likes yah so much," she winked.

He opened his eyes but refrained from looking at her. "Are we done here now? I've done what you asked, now let Amy take control again."

Rosy stood from her seat. "Ah, ah, ah," she scolded. "We're not quite finished yet." Rosy lifted her right hand, making him suddenly stand to his feet. Keeping her hand outwards, she led him in a new direction. "Go take a seat, baby." Right then, Shadow began to walk in her desired direction. From her control, she led him to the sofa and forced him to sit down on the couch.

He grunted as he was forced to plop down on the sofa. "What now?" he groaned, staring up at her as she stood before him.

"Now it's time for the real fun stuff." Shadow started to chuckle softly from her remark, making Rosy confused. She huffed, crossing her arms under her ample chest. "What's so funny?"

"I regret to inform you that, nothing, will be taking place. You see, you haven't exactly turned me on in the slightest," he smirked arrogantly. "Therefore, I cannot accommodate you in your next request."

"No boner, huh?" she figured by his fancy talk. "Well, I'm sure I can change that." Shadow watched as she slowly sunk down to her knees, before she placed her hands on his jeans, unbuckled his belt, and unzipped his pants. Her hand rummaged around in his boxers and pulled out his limb shaft. Shadow grimaced by her actions, as he was rendered immobile by her magic.

He tried to move but groaned in frustration when nothing happened. "Take your hands off me. I have not given you my consent," he warned sternly.

Rosy shrugged, ignoring his disapproving tone. "I don't need your consent when I know I can prove you want me." She took her right hand and spit into it for lubrication before handling him from the base and moving it up and down. Shadow winced in surprise; as he felt her hand begin go coax him into rising. Skillfully, she glided her hand up and down his shaft, squeezing softly at different points to please him. Trying his best to avoid arousal, Shadow shut his eyes, trying to resist her. Unfortunately, he was a male, and she was making him feel oh so good with every stroke.

Rosy felt a bit of a twinge emerge in his shaft, and could see it starting to grow firm. She hummed a soft laugh as she looked up at him wickedly. Shadow was forming a bit of sweat on his forehead as he continued to keep his eyes closed. He let his head fall back onto the base of the couch, trying to think of things to keep him from getting aroused. Rosy giggled seeing him struggle with his internal thoughts. This was obviously very hard for him to combat whether he wanted to or not. "Boy, I can't wait to see how big this fella can get!" she squealed in delight.

"Shut up," he grimaced, through clenched teeth.

"Aww, looks like someone's embarrassed," she replied before taking the head of his penis and enveloping it in her warm mouth. Shadow writhed slightly by the unexpected move, letting out a sharp gasp that he quickly tried to conceal. He couldn't let Rosy believe that she was pleasing him, as it would only ignite her fire. Sadly, Shadow's growth was confirming enough that she had him where she wanted. Shadow's cock was getting harder by the minute with every suck, lick, and caress. She lapped her tongue around his head before taking more of him into her mouth.

Shadow cracked one eye open as he looked down at her. "Stu-stop it," he growled, in frustration.

Rosy ignored his pleas and continued to massage him with one hand, while she gave him oral. Shadow cursed silently as she continued her molestation. Rosy was extremely skilled at what she was doing and it now showed for her promiscuous persona and reputation. She cupped at his balls gently, making him feel shivers run down his spine, while she deep throated him. Shadow returned to letting his head drop onto the back of the sofa as he clenched his teeth, feeling his own climax building. He couldn't do this, this was so wrong! Her throat was so hot and so tight, he could practically feel his head at the back of her throat. It was excoriatingly pleasurable. "Damn it," he muttered, keeping his eyes closed.

Rosy stopped her oral when she felt the shaft pump his semen into the back of her throat. She allowed him to dump his load into her and took it all in good stride. She felt the sticky, hot, secretion sink down the back of her throat and carefully pulled back, allowing his penis to be released from the chamber of her throat. Shadow panted himself, exhausted just from trying to prevent his recent actions. His stomach turned at the thought of what his body had just done. He had enjoyed the sexual act she had just performed on him. He felt like the greatest disgrace of a boyfriend. The worst part of all was that his body had responded by growing firm again. His penis twitched in anticipation for round two.

Rosy caught her breath, as she remained knelt on the floor. She smiled proudly in admiration by her handiwork. His shaft once again held strong and high, as it stood erect, lubricated, and glistening from her saliva. "Oh, yes, now this is something I can work with!"

Shadow stared at her as she rose to her feet, placing her right knee on one side of him and doing the same with the opposite leg. He knew what was coming next and if he wasn't immobile at this moment, he would bolt in a second. "Don't you come any closer," he tried to warn threateningly.

Rosy reached behind her and unclipped her bra, allowing it to carelessly fall to the floor, exposing her medium sized chest and perky nipples. She lowered her eyelids suggestively, before creeping closer towards him. Shadow turned his head as she straddled his lap, pressing her exposed breasts against his bare chest. "You scared of me, handsome?" she teased, rubbing her breasts against him. Her hands traced his toned chest in admiration, making his hair stand on end.

Her breasts were so supple and soft that just having that thought run through his mind made him feel vile and low. He looked up at her, making sure to look at her only in the eyes. "I refuse to take this any further, now get the hell off of me!"

"Your body certainly wasn't complaining a few minutes ago. In fact, I think you want to shove that big thing inside my lil' pussy," she grinned.

He mad a wry face at her filthy bedroom talk. Everything about this situation just made him want to crawl into a hole. "No, I want nothing to do with you, you vile deviant." She dipped her hips a little lower, allowing the head of his cock to rub just the opening of her vagina. Shadow shuddered in pleasure, feeling the moistness and heat emitting from her opening. His animalistic and horny side wanted it for sure, but still, this wasn't right. This wasn't Amy he was having sex with—it was the host, the real Rosy Rascal! Not to mention, Rosy had basically molested him and was about to finish it off with rape.

"Come on, Shaddy," she cooed, reaching for his limp hands and placing them on each of her breasts. "Cup a feel," she ordered, forcing his hands to fondle her breasts. She moaned erotically. "Don't you like having a girl to push you around in the bedroom. It's awfully kinky, ain't it?"

"Stop…"

"Don't worry, I'll change your mind after this. She sunk down, allowing his cock to completely fill her in one swift movement. Shadow winced from the unexpected move, but felt his skin crawl as her warmth enveloped him completely. Rosy moaned softly as she felt his girth fill her core and allowed her body to adjust to his size before she'd start. "Ooooh," she moaned deeply. Once comfortable, Rosy began to rock up and down, occasionally pressing her body up against him. The rhythm she was performing felt fantastic and Shadow cursed himself for even thinking that.

"You're so thick," she purred as she began to bounce up and down sensually on his dick. Shadow stifled a couple of moans as she continued her assault, but Rosy held onto the back of the couch to steady herself as she rode him to her heart's content. "Oh god…"

It was then Shadow realized he was getting close to climaxing again. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

Rosy quickened her pace, realizing why he was swearing to himself. Smirking, she bucked her hips faster, finding the right spot that helped her reach the end too. Shadow grimaced as he felt his ejaculation release inside her, making Rosy squeal in delight as she felt his warm fluids fill her. She stayed in his lap with his dick still inside as she caught her breath.

Feeling disgusted with himself, he turned his face and looked away. In essence, he had cheated on Amy with her counterpart, and he felt pretty shitty about it, especially since he hadn't given consent. Rosy noticed his dour expression and got off of him and began to clean herself up. "Don't be so hard on yourself, handsome. You're a male—you can't help yourself. After all, boys will be boys!"

He watched as she got redressed, putting on a new pair of panties and a bra. "You're wrong, you know. I love Amy and I would never cheat on her."

Rosy finished clasping her bra on and turned to look at him still frozen on the sofa. "Hate to break it to you, but you just did, and I think you enjoyed it," she winked.

Shadow opened his mouth to give a rebuttal, but for once in his life came up empty. Rosy laughed at his silence and started to get redressed, only confusing him even more. "Wait a second, what are you doing?"

"Getting dressed so I can get the hell out of here. I've had my fun and now I need to finish what I started," she replied, putting on a pair of jeans.

"What about Amy? I was under the impression that if I did what you said, you'd release her."

She finished slipping on a t-shirt. "Well, baby, your impression was wrong. I lied!" she grinned.

His brows furrowed. " Damn it, when I get my hands on you-"

"—But you won't," she corrected. "Because I'll be long gone by the time you wake up." With that, she put her hand up and twisted her wrist in a circular motion, making Shadow's neck break on instant. With him now unconscious, this gave Rosy the opportunity to escape.

•~•

Walking down the hall, Rosy froze in place when she heard the front door opening downstairs. "We're back!" Blaze called from downstairs.

"Shit…" Seeing her opportunity to escape was getting lesser by the second, Rosy quickly bolted inside the nearest room. Heading inside, she closed the door behind her and kept her back up against it. "Now what…"

Her stress and anxiety levels were distracted when she heard a baby cooing from the corner of the room. Rosy looked around her environment, realizing she was in a nursery. Her eyes fell over to the crib where she heard the baby cooing away. It was then that Rosy felt a strong pull drawing her towards the crib. There was something different about this child and she could sense it. Rosy licked her lips as she felt a great power radiating off the infant. She walked towards the crib and placed her hands on the railing suddenly growing a wicked idea. "Well, hello there, little cutie…"

Rosy reached down into the crib, ready to snatch up Faith, but the door to the nursery opened and Silver stepped in. Rosy spun around and locked eyes with the silver hedgehog. As Silver stared back at Rosy, he sensed something was off. However, before he could ask any questions, Shadow, now redressed, staggered down the hall, having finally woken up. "Stop her, it's not Amy!" he shouted.

Realizing he was right with his assumption, Silver charged towards Rosy, ready to attack, but Rosy stuck her hand out and sent Silver crashing into the dresser at the other side of the room with an unseen force attack. He grunted from impact as the heavy dresser fell on top of him. Shadow ran towards Rosy and swiped his hand out for an attack. Rosy tried to dodge his attack but was scratched violently along her upper thigh in the process. "Gah!"

Shadow landed a few feet away from her, standing protectively in front of Faith's crib. "Stay the hell away from my daughter," he seethed.

Rosy brought her hands up and brought on a horrific pain that forced Shadow to his knees. "AAH!"

Hearing more footsteps racing up the stairs, Rosy decided she needed to make her escape now more than ever. She looked at the open window and hopped out, and ran across the roof before sliding down one side to make her escape. Still reeling from the attack, Shadow took his hands away from his head and looked over to Silver who was still buried under the heavy dresser. "Silver!"

He rushed over and began to lift the dresser, just as Mighty and Blaze made their entrance. "What's going on?" Blaze croaked, seeing the severity.

Mighty rushed over and helped Shadow lift the furniture, freeing Silver. "Rosy gained complete control over her body," Shadow answered. "She attacked me and then tried to go after Faith."

"Oh no…" Blaze looked over Silver. "Are you okay, hun?"

Silver rubbed the back of his neck and then rolled one of his shoulders. "I'm fine, sweetheart."

Mighty looked out the open window, seeing Rosy no longer in sight. "Damn it," he cursed.

Shadow walked over to the armadillo. "You can still help us get Amy back, right?"

He nodded weakly. "I can, but I'm now going to need some help…"


	24. A New Ally?

**AN:** Seems like a lot of you guys seemed to really enjoy my last chapter. Oh boy...well, it's going to get very interesting from this point on. Once again, I gotta shout out to those that left reviews on my chapter. So, thank you, CrimsonDestroyer, CrimsonLove16, Shadrougeforever, CrimsonDarkTheHedgehog, Kimberly Rosivel Lopez, risingzero1984, Janttun3n, guest, and finally aliciathewolf45! Some of you have PM'd me or left reviews asking if we'll ever see Faith more grown up in this story. Yes, you definitely will. A time skip is coming up very soon and we'll see an older version of Faith. :)

•~•

Rummaging around in a box located in the attic, Shadow eventually stumbled across the item he was looking for. Coming back downstairs, he held out a pair of metal shackles in one hand. "We should stop packing these away, it seems there's always someone around that's in need of a good shackling." He handed the medieval-looking shackles over to Mighty, who looked down at them in wonder.

"Wow, I haven't seen a pair of these around in a while. They're very hard to come by, especially since they're so outdated. It's a shame, these things work like a charm," the armadillo noted, examining them within his hands.

"Yes, I agree," Shadow mumbled before refocusing his attention to the most important matter at hand. "Now, let's find Amy, Rosy, or whoever the hell that was and use these to stop her from doing magic. But most of all, we can't hurt her. The non-psychopathic bits are still my girlfriend."

Mighty looked down at the dark object he held in his hands for a moment. "You must understand that I won't be the only one looking for her, Shadow. She killed children. The 24-hour hold that you managed to get the coven to agree on ends in a couple of hours. Soon enough, every witch in this city is going to be out there gunning for her."

Shadow pondered on the thought before re-evaluating his plans. "Perhaps you're right. Change of plans." He looked over to his brother waiting in the corner of the living room with Blaze. "Silver, you and Blaze head over to Hendrix's residence and charm him into extending the holdover. Do whatever you can to stall him. We can't allow his flock to go after Rosy."

"What about Faith?" Blaze reminded. "We can't leave her alone, especially when Rosy tried to target her."

"Already one step ahead of you." Shadow pulled out his cellphone from his back pocket. "I'll be calling in a little favor to the wolves. I want Faith safe while we work to get Amy out of that serial killer's body and back to the original one."

•~•

After making some calls, Sonic and Sally arrived at Shadow's estate. The two had gotten there as fast as they could after hearing the news. Holding hands, Sonic led Sally up the stairs to the front porch and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the front door opened and they were greeted by Shadow, who held Faith in one arm, while he held open the door with the other. "Come inside," he beckoned."

"What's the update?" Sonic inquired as they stepped inside.

Shadow closed the door behind them then turned to face them. "Nothing good," he sighed. "Silver and Blaze are out on an errand and Mighty and I are going to work on hunting down Amy."

Sally looked at the infant held closely to the hybrid's chest. Faith was busy, reaching one hand up towards her father's face, trying to gain his attention. "So, this witch really came after Faith? Sally questioned in shock.

Shadow nodded. "It was fortunate that I was able to stop her in time. Only God knows what she would have done if I hadn't, the sick bitch…"

Sally opened her arms and gestured for Shadow to hand over the infant. Obliging, Shadow handed Faith over to her gently. Sally smiled down at her and Faith returned a similar expression. Seeing Shadow stare at his daughter in a stranger's arms, Sally knew he'd need a little reassurance with her protection "It's okay, Shadow," she spoke pulling him out of his reverie. "I promise to protect her as if she were my own."

Sonic patted Shadow on the shoulder also trying to calm his ease of worry. "Don't worry, we won't let you down. We even have a couple of our strongest guys outside to escort us back in case anything happens. We won't let anything happen to your kid."

"That's all I want to hear," Shadow smiled weakly. "Thank you two for being so kind and coming out of your way to do this for me."

"Hey, times have changed. We've got your back if you've got ours," Sonic winked.

Shadow bent over by the front door and handed Sonic a diaper bag full of Faith's supplies. "I hope to have this issue resolved before daylight." He gently stroked Faith's cheek with the side of his index finger, making her smile at him. "Your father loves you," he smiled. "And I promise to bring back your mother safe and sound. Just don't be a hassle for Sally and Sonic."

Sally smiled at him and gave a soft chuckle. "She shouldn't be too much trouble." She took Faith's hand and made her wave at her father. "Say bye-bye to your daddy," she giggled. Faith giggled in return by Sally's playfulness and let off a few coos.

Suddenly a loud rumble of thunder sounded off in the distance, startling the group. Seeing a flash appear in the far off sky, it was apparent that a storm was brewing and heading their way. It seemed also rather symbolic of the events that were undoubtedly to unfold. "You two better get out of here before the rain hits," Shadow advised, hearing another close rumble sound off.

"You're right," Sonic concurred, slinging the diaper bag's strap over one shoulder.

Shadow walked over and opened the door for them, it was already starting to get increasing dark and ominous as the dark clouds rolled in. "Take care." Sonic waved to Shadow before draping an arm over Sally and leading her out of the house with Faith in tow. Shadow stood on his front porch and watched as Faith was taken away from his home and loaded into one of the black SUV's they had arrived in. It was hard to watch but he knew this needed to be done to keep her safe for the time being.

•~•

Meanwhile, at Hendrix's estate, Silver and Blaze met with him to discuss extending their deal on Rosy Rascal. The three sat in Hendrix's living room together and watched as the black cat enjoyed his evening tea. "So, I suppose you've come to tell me good news?" the black cat assumed, starting the conversation.

"Not exactly," Blaze responded timidly. "We've actually come here to ask a favor..."

Hendrix leaned back in his seat. "Oh joy, I can't wait to hear this one," he said facetiously.

•~•

While Silver and Blaze dealt with stalling Hendrix, Shadow and Mighty walked the barren streets of Station Square as they hunted for Rosy. Using his keen sense of smell, Shadow sniffed the air, trying to catch her scent. Growing frustrated by the lack of her scent, Shadow turned to look at the armadillo trailing behind him. "Once we capture Rosy, we'll be able to put her back in her body tonight, correct?"

Mighty looked wary on the prospects as he kept up his stride with Shadow. "About that…" he droned hesitantly. "It's not that simple."

Shadow stopped in his tracks, disliking that reluctant tone that Mighty spoke with. "What do you mean? I thought you said this wouldn't be a problem."

"That's just it, Amy's condition has worsened. When I first offered my help, she was still in control of Rosy's body," he elaborated. "But right now, she's lost inside Rosy's psyche and I don't know a spell that can reach Rosy's mind to find her…" Shadow paced back and forth, growing stressed by their predicament. Things were getting more complicated and dire by the second. Who on Earth would know of such a spell that even Mighty didn't know of? Seeing how stressed he was becoming, Mighty sank in his demeanor. "Look, I'm so sorry about this. I wish I knew someone personally that was well-versed in such magic…"

Shadow stopped momentarily as a thought crossed his mind. He just so happened to know of one person that could aid them in their quest, however, it wasn't particularly his favorite person to deal with. In fact, he hadn't seen this person in a matter of weeks purposely because he despised them so much. "…I think I might know someone well-versed in such spells."

•~•

On the drive back to the wolves' camp, Sonic and Sally sat in the back of the SUV with Faith in her carrier in between them. Up front, a brown, male lynx drove the car while a yellow, male coyote sat in the passenger seat. With the rain catching up to them and pouring down heavily on their ride back, Sally fixated herself on playing with Faith. She dangled one of her favorite toys out in front of her, causing Faith to giggle. "Aw, she's just too precious," Sally tittered.

"She's a cutie, that's for sure," Sonic sighed, finding himself growing fascinated with the young infant in their care.

Faith reached out and grabbed ahold of Sally's index finger and wiggled happily in her seat. "It makes you want to just run out and get pregnant," she joked lightly.

Sonic smirked and raised a brow seductively towards her. "I mean, you know I'd love to try…"

Sally shook her head at his suggestiveness. "Sonic!" she shouted playfully.

Their two escorts up front couldn't help but chuckle themselves at the banter going on in the back seat. "Hopefully, this rain will let up by the time we get back," the driver spoke optimistically.

"We'd be lucky," the coyote speculated in the passenger seat. But their drive back home delayed when their car came to a sudden dead halt. All the lights on the dashboard shut off and the hum of the engine stalled. Bewildered by this strange reaction, the car came to a slow halt in the middle of the back trail road.

"What the hell?" the driver muttered to himself.

Sonic and Sally seemed spooked by the sudden car malfunction. "Hey, what's going on up there, Rui?" Sonic asked, directed towards the driver.

Rui turned in his seat to look back at him. "We're not sure yet, sir. We're working on fixing the problem."

"Try wiggling the key," he suggested.

Rui tried turning the key in the ignition but didn't even get a purr from the engine. "It's not working. The engine's dead."

Sally tilted her head as she found their car issues baffling and unexpected. "What could have possibly made it do that? It isn't like this is an old car."

Then, out of nowhere, a bright flash cracked down 40 feet in front of them. A large bolt of lightning struck a tall tree, making a branch burst into flames and fall onto the road, blocking their path completely. Startled, the group stared in awe and shock at the sight. "That could have been us under that debris…" the werewolf in the passenger seat muttered in realization of the timing.

"Guess someone was looking out for us tonight," Sonic cracked, trying to ease the mood. "Now, if only we could fix the car." Just as those words left his mouth, their car engine roared back to life, making everyone jump in surprise. The headlights shined brightly ahead of them on the road, the radio sputtered back on, and the heat came on full blast. Sonic felt a shiver run down his spine at the coincidence. "Okay, now that's just creepy…"

The driver backed up the car, doing a three-point turn and headed back down the road they came from. In the back seat, Sally sat back down as she pondered over the strange occurrence. "It's so strange, it was almost like whoever was looking out for us…was listening."

"How would they know lightning was going to strike the road we were taking?" Sonic challenged with skepticism.

Sally shrugged, not sure herself. "I don't know, but it did feel like divine intervention…unless." Her eyes glanced over to Faith, now sucking away at her binky innocently with her eyes closed.

Sonic caught her glance and shook his head by her theory. "She's just a baby, Sal. There's NO way," he dismissed with certainty.

"Yeah, but isn't she supposed to be some sort of prodigy?" Sally reminded. "I don't think anything is impossible with all the things we've seen and encountered."

Sonic shrugged and put his arms behind his head, kicking back into a more relaxed position. "Nah, it was just dumb luck. There's nothing more to it."

•~•

In another part of town, things weren't going very well for Blaze and Silver. After telling Hendrix about the Rosy issue, the cat wasn't too sure about the extension they wanted. "If Rosy is back in control of her body as you say, then you need to let the witches put her down. Rosy will use up your friend's spirit, just like she did the others."

"You mean the children?" Blaze asked for clarification.

Hendrix nodded in confirmation. "Rosy was a wild beauty, practicing a wild magic. She was happy and harmless to us at first, so the coven lets her be."

"But then the children began to disappear?" Silver surmised, piecing the story together.

"Correct," Hendrix confirmed. "Her first victim was a little rabbit girl named Cream. She was just eight years old when she disappeared. Then there was a little boy named Charmy who had just turned nine. He was the second victim. Oh, and how could I forget Marine the raccoon, she was 11 years old. All of them were young witch prodigies, then WHOOSH—all vanished into thin air."

Blaze tilted her head in curiosity. "How come it took you so long to find out it was her?"

"Rosy cloaked the children, preventing us from finding them. She was also a very good actor and had worked on her alibis when being interrogated. We only realized she was responsible when she slipped up once. Our coven had speculated on one of the children we believed this person would attempt to kidnap next. Thankfully, we were correct on our assumption and were able to slap a locator spell on them, leading us straight to her when she eventually did kidnap them."

"What was so special about taking children?" Silver pressed.

"To complete the Rite of Nines," Hendrix answered.

Blaze raised a brow, shocked by the reveal. "The Rite of Nines?"

"Yes, Rosy thought that if she sacrificed children, she would become more powerful than any elder or ancestor in the city. All that girl has ever wanted is insurmountable power."

The white hedgehog leaned forward, still fascinated by this case. "Still…why kids?"

"Because their magic is untapped. It's pure and they're a hell of a lot easier to subdue than adults," he answered.

"That's why she went after Faith," Blaze mumbled in realization, glancing at her husband. "She's just a defenseless baby…"

"That and she comes from a very specific lineage known for strong witches," he added. Hendrix cupped his hands together over his lap. "She would have killed that infant and channeled her powers, as she did with those other poor children."

"I'm so sorry…I promise that this won't happen again," Blaze avowed.

"I agree, Blaze." Hendrix rose from his seat. "That is why I will not extend your 24 hours. We refuse to allow any more of our youth to die. Rosy Rascal now has a bounty on her head," he announced.

The couple stood from their seats in unison, shocked by his lack of empathy. "You can't do this!" Blaze beseeched, following behind him.

"Please," Silver implored, mimicking Blaze's actions. "You would really condemn my brother's girlfriend to her death?"

Hendrix walked over to his front door, signaling his time with them was over. "I dislike the term 'collateral damage,' but this is it." He opened his front door and looked over to them. "If one or two must fall in order to take Rosy down for good…so be it."

•~•

At that same time, back with Mighty and Shadow, the two arrived at the abandoned and decrepit house Shadow imprisoned his mother away in. The two walked down to the cellar where she was still being held. It had been a couple of weeks since Shadow had visited his mother's cell, and he was expecting to see her weak and hunger-deprived. Now that she was a vampire, her withering away from lack of food would be a long and slow demise.

Mighty stopped at midpoint of the stairs, feeling uneasy about their location. He could feel some sort of powerful entity's aura in the home and it sent a shiver down his spine. Whoever he was about to meet was some sort of force to be reckoned with. "Uh, who exactly is it that lives here again?"

Shadow stopped at the bottom of the stairs, glancing over his shoulder at the young male. "You'll see in a minute," he answered before pulling out a blood bag he had picked up along the way. He tossed it into the spotlight, coming from a crack in the ceiling. It was the only light source that came into the room from the moonlight outside and shined in the dead center of the darkened room. Mighty watched as a shriveled, boney, hand came into view and grabbed the blood bag before dragging it back into the darkness.

Mighty blinked in surprise as he listened to slurping and moans of euphoria come from the hidden figure. He came further down the stairs, joining Shadow by his side to get a better look. He squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness. "Who is that?"

Shadow placed his hand on Mighty's shoulder and smiled at him arrogantly at the thought of his introduction of their temporary ally. Mighty didn't know how to quite react as he looked back at Shadow's expression, the ebony hedgehog turned to look back at the darkened corner. "Oh, Mother?" he sang out mockingly. "I'd like you to meet my new friend, Mighty. I believe you may have met before."

Eventually, a figure crawled out from the darkness and stood in the moonlight. It was Gala-Na, the witch-turned vampire, trapped by a boundary spell preventing her from leaving the prison. "That's not Mephiles anymore?" she asked in surprise.

"Sadly not, Mephiles is gone for good now," Shadow answered almost too happily. "At any rate, Mighty, this is my Mother, the one who hand-selected your body in the first place for my low-life brother to inhabit."

Mighty narrowed his eyes in her direction by the information. "You're the one responsible for this? he spat, trying to lunge for her, but Shadow held him back.

Gala-Na bowed her head shamefully. "My apologies. Your body and talent was a good fit for my son…"

He thrashed in Shadow's hold, feeling ignited in wanting to get payback for all the months lost in his life. "Let me go, Shadow!"

Shadow kept a good lock on him, preventing him from making a stupid mistake. "You're going to have to trust me on this one."

Mighty clenched his fists, feeling more rage fill him. "How can you trust anything this vile monster says?"

Feeling Mighty begin to dispel his initial attack, Shadow loosened his tight hold on him. "I trust my mother about as much as I would a trapped snake," he replied, releasing his hold on him. Mighty watched in confusion as Shadow approached the echidna slowly. Shadow tucked his arms behind his back as he looked down at her like mere trash. "Fortunately, she is now a vampire and as such, she's vulnerable to my compulsion."

Gala-Na gasped as Shadow reached out and grasped her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him. Shadow stared her in the eyes as his own eyes dilated to compel her. "You will answer me truthfully." Finishing his trick, Shadow released her and walked back over to Mighty's side. "Now at least everything that comes out of her wretched mouth will be honest."

"What do you want from me?" Gala-Na questioned, panting and trying to collect her breath.

"Amy is in terrible danger of being obliterated from existence because the previous tenant of her body has seized control and is hell-bent on giving it up," Shadow began. "Mighty here," he gestured. "Although powerful, lacks the spell to put Amy back in her true body. Therefore, we need the spell to do that."

Gala-Na crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, do you have a piece of paper on you?"

Shadow walked over and pulled out a piece of paper from the inside of his jacket, along with a pen. "Give us the spell that puts Amy back in her body."

Gala-Na accepted the items and knelt down on the floor and began to write and scribble notes and instructions along with spell designs. After a few minutes of writing, Gala-Na stood up and handed the paper back to Shadow. "Here…"

In return, Shadow handed the paper over to Mighty to study and evaluate it for corrections. His blue eyes scanned and studied the paper for instructions before coming to a concerned thought. "How on Earth do you expect me to do this?" he asked in bafflement. "This spell requires an enormous amount of power."

"—Which you have," Gala-Na replied.

"But that power needs to be anchored or I'll become lost inside Rosy's mind along with Amy," Mighty pointed accusingly. "This is a risky spell to perform."

"There's no other spell," Gala-Na shrugged defensively.

"Unless…" Mighty considered as he stared at Shadow. "I can use you as my anchor," he theorized. "I can channel your energy while I breach Rosy's mind."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Shadow shrugged. "You know how to perform this spell correctly?"

Mighty went to open his mouth to answer, but Gala-Na was quick to cut him off. "Yea-"

"—How can you trust him so easily, Shadow?" Gala-Na interrogated with venom. "You do realize that if he uses you as his source of power, he'll be able to get information from your mind. He'll see every memory, every thought, every secret…"

"You don't think he can trust me? That's rich coming from you," Mighty snapped.

"I may not know Mighty very well, he's my only hope at getting Amy back, so I'll take the chance," he defended.

Mighty nodded. "Yes, but I'll be honest with you, Shadow. This is not going to be easy. This is a very difficult spell to maintain and it could result in someone losing their life. So I hope you have faith in me."

"Well, until we manage to capture Rosy, I'm not too worried about those risks. Now, c'mon, let's get going. We still need to find her," he urged.

•~•


	25. I See You Watching

**AN: ** Hey there guys! I thought I'd update you with another chapter. Thank you Aliciathewolf45, Janttun3n, Shadrougeforever, CrimsonLove16, CrimsonDestroyer, Sad Little Demon, and MissMJS for the reviews. Y'all the bomb!

•~•

Hidden away in an old dressing room of a closed theater, Rosy sat in a makeup chair as she worked on a healing ointment to mend the wound she received earlier that night. Still damp from the rain, her scratch was throbbing like crazy and with a limited amount of time, she needed to tend to her injuries before Shadow found her again. Rosy worked on whipping up a purple paste that consisted of a glue-like texture in a bowl. Finishing it, she scooped an amount of it onto her fingertips and rubbed it along her upper thigh where Shadow had scratched her. The wound was surprisingly deep, but Shadow had used his werewolf side to inflict it.

Rosy hissed as she rubbed the ointment into her wound, covering it completely. "Ah…damn it."

Afterward, Rosy reached for a jar of red liquid and unscrewed the cap, revealing a dropper. She sucked up some of the liquid and proceeded to drip the liquid onto the purple substance. As the liquid hit the ointment it hissed and began to bubble away. "Shit," Rosy hissed, feeling the remedy heal her injury.

Feeling that she was finally safe, Rosy relaxed, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes for a moment. It was just too bad that moment of ease was cut short when a whoosh of air flew past her. The moment she opened her eyes, she realized she was handcuffed. "What the hell!"

"My apologies, I don't feel like catching another bad headache," Shadow smirked arrogantly standing before her. Mighty entered the dressing room and lowered his hood, but stood by the door as he watched Shadow confront the witch.

Rosy held her hands out in front of her, analyzing the relic-looking handcuffs. "A dark object…" she mumbled before turning infuriated. "How the hell did you find me?" she screamed.

"I sniffed out your depraved scent," Shadow answered. He reached for the front of her shirt, wadded up some of the fabric in his hand, lifted her off the floor, and smashed her up against one of the walls. "Now," his tone hardened. "Let's get to the important matter at hand. You will release Amy, NOW!"

Rosy let out a chuckle, unfazed by his tough act. "Best not damage the packaging or you might never see your little girlfriend again," she mocked with a grin.

"I'll take the risk," he spat.

"Hah, some boyfriend you are," she taunted. "I've been feeding off Amy's energy for days now. I was even sneaking out at night and you didn't even notice!"

He pulled her away from the wall and slammed her against it again, angered by her ridicule. "Shut up!"

"Release me and you can have what's left of her," she wagered.

"No," he replied sternly before using her other hand to shove his finger into her healing wound. Rosy cried out in agony as she felt his finger dig into her thigh, inflicting more trauma in the fresh wound. "I'll just torture you until you give her back."

"Screw you, hybrid!" she hissed.

"Shadow, wait a second!" Mighty pleaded, forcing him to stop. "Why don't you let me talk to her? Perhaps I can get some information out of her without resorting to violence."

He pulled out the finger he had dug into her open wound. "You truly believe she's going to spill anything to you over me?" Shadow challenged with doubt.

"We won't know until we find out. Just allow me to talk to her for a few minutes alone. I'll be fine by myself, especially since she can't do anything with those handcuffs on."

Shadow sighed and forced Rosy to sit back down in her makeup chair she had originally been stationed in. "I'll give you five minutes, but we can't waste too much time. Amy's life is on the line along with those missing children."

"I understand," Mighty replied. "Now, go." Complying with his orders, Shadow left the room, allowing the two to talk privately.

Once alone, Mighty stood a few feet away as he stared at Rosy with scrutiny. "Alright, let's get down to business. Where have you hidden the children?"

Rosy snickered before crossing one leg over the other. "Is that any way to talk to someone that saved your life," she scolded playfully.

Mighty stared at her, unclear of her comment. "Saved my life?" he repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"I was the one that released you from that spirit's hold," she answered.

"That was you? Why did you help me? I don't know you and clearly you didn't know me, so why do such a selfless act?" he interrogated. "It seems…out of character for you."

"Nobody likes having someone use their body like a hotel," she cracked. "You owe me for your gratitude. After all, if it wasn't for me, you'd still be under that Original's control," she reminded.

"Well, thank you for that…" he spoke sincerely. "I really appreciate what you did for me, but I need you to tell me where you're keeping the children."

Rosy ignored his question as she hummed over another idea. "How about this, you set me free and we'll call it even?" she pitched.

Mighty crossed his arms over his chest, growing irked with her avoidance of answering his questions. "You know I can't in good conscience do that, Rosy. Killing them for power is wrong."

Her wicked expression softened and turned to concern. "But who said they had to die?"

Mighty's hardened stance faltered for a moment in doubt. "Well, I just assumed from your files-"

She shook her head softly and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "No, no, no! You've got it all wrong," she sighed. "They don't have to die, they just have to stay asleep," she lied. "Come on, Mighty. Don't you want a power that would have every witch running in fear from you? Just think, once I'm done, you could go destroy anyone who's ever wronged you," she manipulated.

Mighty mulled over the thought for a moment. The one person who had really wronged him was Gala-Na. Oh, how he wished he could finish her so she'd never hurt anyone ever again. He couldn't understand why Shadow was keeping her around in the first place—clearly, he loathed her too? "It does sound rather promising…"

The door opened and Shadow walked back inside now that the five minutes were up. "So, are you done here?"

Rosy stared at Mighty optimistically, praying that her manipulation had infected him. Mighty looked over to Rosy for a moment, seeing her eyes were pleading him to join her. He turned his gaze away from her and looked towards the hybrid. "Yeah, I think I've gotten all the information we need," he lied. With quick precision, Mighty clasped his hands together and weaved a sign that forced Shadow to feel a mind attack. "Fus-guh!"

Shadow screamed in agony, as he was rendered helpless before he was levitated and thrown through one of the drywalls. Mighty walked over and saw that Shadow was knocked out, for the time being, giving them enough time to escape. Grinning maniacally, Rosy hopped out of her seat and held out her wrists, still bound by the cuffs that prevented her from performing magic. Mighty held out his right hand and snapped his fingers, making the chains release and drop from her wrists. Rubbing at her freed wrists, Rosy sauntered over to him. "Thanks for that, handsome," she complimented while linking an arm with his.

Mighty felt his cheeks heat up as she pressed her ample chest against his arm. "Heh, no problem."

"Now, let's go," she urged, tugging him in her direction. We don't have much time left."

"Right," Mighty nodded, following her lead as they walked over Shadow's collapsed body. Rosy turned her face away from him for a moment, smirking wickedly to herself. She was proud that she had managed to get this fool to comply with her demands. Now working together, Mighty and Rosy left the abandoned performance theater to finish the spell.

•~•

Afterward, Rosy led Mighty to the location where she was hiding the children. The pink hedgehog directed Mighty into the back part of a warehouse and pointed him in the right direction. She yanked the heavy metal door closed behind her, sealing them away in her hideout. "They're hidden over there," she said, nodding her head to the right.

Mighty looked around, only seeing crates covered in saran wrap all over the room. He couldn't spot a single child that she was pointing to. "I don't see anyone."

Rosy smirked. "That's because they're cloaked. Just watch." She lifted her arms slowly and closed her eyes, mumbling an incantation. "Gumbla." Suddenly the children appeared, all sprawled across the floor unconscious. Mighty looked in awe as he counted the children in his head. There were nine of them in total, ranging from ages 6-16, both male and female.

"There's so many," he uttered.

Rosy knelt down to examine one of the children. "Yes, and now that I'm back, we can start the process, but I have to admit…I told a little lie earlier."

He blinked a few times at her in surprise. "About what?"

"In order to save the many, we gotta sacrifice a few. You understand, right?"

Mighty nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I understand…"

"Good," she smiled wickedly before turning her back on him. "Then we can sta-"

WHACK!

Feeling something with hard force hit the back of her head, Rosy grunted and fell forward, crumbling on the floor as she was knocked out from behind. Mighty stood over her, wielding a lead pipe he had picked up while she wasn't looking. He looked down at her body in disgust and held up the metal pipe, allowing it to rest against his right shoulder. "Yeah, I figured you were lying earlier," he smirked.

•~•

Back at the house, Silver and Blaze spoke to Shadow in the kitchen once he returned home after finding out they had been blindsided by Mighty. "He lied to us?" Blaze asked aghast. "No, no, this has to be a misunderstanding."

"I don't think it was a misunderstanding when he chucked me out of the room and knocked me unconscious," Shadow challenged. "This is why I don't trust easily," he growled in frustration. "For once, I should have listened to my mother…"

"So you have no idea where Rosy might have taken him, then?" Silver questioned.

Shadow leaned against one of the kitchen counters. "Obviously the same place she's keeping the captives, but I have no inkling as to where that is. She seems to have cloaked herself again." Suddenly, his phone began to ring. Rustling his hand into his jean pocket, Shadow pulled out his phone and saw that Mighty was calling him. Growling at the sight of the caller, he answered the call and placed the phone to his ear. "When I find you, I'm going to rip your head from your neck," his voice rumbled.

"You might want to hold off on that beheading," he warned. "After all, I took down Rosy and found the children…"

Shadow seemed rattled by the revelation. "Are you telling me that was all an act back there?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Shadow," he apologized. "I had to make it look convincing. If you were in on the plan, Rosy would have known."

"Yes, of course, blasting me through that drywall really sold it!" he grumbled in annoyance. "But your plan did seem to work," he sighed in defeat. "Good job locating the young ones."

On Mighty's end, the armadillo squinted as he spotted something troubling. Kneeling down to Rosy's level, Mighty realized that Rosy's nose was bleeding, but as he looked around the room at the rest of the children, they were also bleeding from their noses. "Hold the accolades there for a second…"

"Now what?" Shadow droned.

"…Now we got a problem," he answered with a sigh. "These kids, they're all linked to her. Which means if she dies, they all die."

"Text us the location and we'll get there as soon as possible."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll get working on drawing up the spell designs on the floor in the meantime. Oh, and Shadow?"

"Yes?" he responded.

"Bring Amy's real body with you," he requested.

•~•

Once they arrived at the warehouse, Shadow carried the unconscious pink witch to their now ready spell triangle to perform the unlinking spell. Silver carried Amy's original body while Blaze followed him close behind. "Lay them inside the salt triangle," Mighty pointed.

Following his set of instructions, Shadow knelt down and laid Rosy on her back, resting her hands on her stomach and Silver mimicked his action, resting Amy's original body on the floor next to Rosy. "Now what?" Silver asked, standing back upright.

"Do you want to be one of the ones that go inside Rosy's mind in search of Amy, or do you want to be the anchor to strengthen my magic?" he inquired.

"I'll go inside her mind," Shadow volunteered. "She'll be most comfortable with me looking for her," he answered.

"Very well…" Mighty glanced over to Silver. "In that case, Silver, I'm going to need you to be my magic conductor."

Silver walked over to the armadillo. "Do whatever you need to do."

"Now, everyone listen carefully," Mighty announced. "Amy is buried deep inside Rosy's subconscious and Rosy will not give her up without a fight."

Shadow cracked his knuckles, feeling his adrenaline pumping. "Then she'll get a fight."

"You say that with confidence, but you're entering Rosy's mind. If she kills you in there, you will be lost forever, and if you kill her before you free Amy, then Amy will be gone forever," he made explicit.

Shadow nodded, comprehending the information given. He couldn't be cocky while in there and would have to be cautious and pay close attention to his surroundings. "I understand."

"Once you have Amy, then, and only _then_ can Rosy be dealt with."

Shadow stepped forward. "What do I do now?"

"Lie down next to Rosy," Mighty instructed. "Then take her hand and hold on. I will act as a bridge into her mind." Shadow got down on the floor and laid next to Rosy and reached out and clutched her hand in his.

"Oh, that reminds me," Mighty remembered as he searched in his satchel. "You'll need a weapon."

Shadow lifted his head slightly and watched as Mighty pulled out a simple dagger, one that he had snatched off Rosy after knocking her out. He knelt down beside Shadow wielding the knife, but Shadow shot him a deadpan expression at the sight of it. "How exactly am I supposed to take that thing in with me?"

Mighty gripped the handle of the dagger with both hands, closed his eyes, and spoke in a foreign incantation. Once the spell was completed, he opened his eyes and looked down at Shadow. "This is going to hurt a little," he warned. Without further explanation, Mighty stabbed the dagger into Shadow's right shoulder making him cry out.

"God damn it!" he hissed before suddenly fading to unconsciousness. With Shadow now knocked out, Mighty walked over and took Blaze's hand in one hand, and Silver's hand in the other. Looking at the two of them, he cleared his throat. "You ready, Blaze?"

The feline nodded confidently. "I'm ready."

"Good," he smiled before closing his eyes and focusing. He and Blaze began to repeat their incantation in unison as they held onto Silver to amplify their power. Even though they were indoors, a strong wind began to pick up around them.

•~•

In Rosy's subconscious, Shadow inhaled a sharp gasp of air as he came to. He screamed in agony as the pain he had felt for seconds in the real world came back with a mean vengeance. Sitting upright, Shadow clutched at the handle of the spelled dagger before ripping it out of his shoulder. "Jesus Christ…" he panted.

As he collected himself, Shadow took in his surroundings, realizing it looked like he was in some sort of old, run-down motel. He sat on a green, stained rug in the middle of a hallway and stared at the multiple doors on either side of him. Getting to his feet with his knife at the ready, Shadow began to walk down the hall in search of Amy. He passed a few doors, reading the room numbers as he passed them.

A flickering overhead light caught his attention and he looked up at the ceiling, seeing it was cracked, stained, and was littered with cobwebs. If this is what the inside of Rosy's mind looked like in the hallway, he feared what could be behind some of those closed doors. Suddenly a familiar scream erupted down the other end of the hall. Shadow turned on his heel, recognizing the scream as Amy's immediately. "Rose," he mumbled before racing off in that direction.

Shadow came to a door at the end of the hall that was boarded up. He pressed his ear up against the door, trying to listen for her voice. "Amy?" he called.

"Shadow?" a muffled voice replied from the inside.

Sensing it was Amy; Shadow tucked his knife away in the back of his pants, backed up, and kicked the door in, making the door swing open and crack into pieces. He stepped inside the darkened room and spotted Amy sitting on a dirty twin size bed in the corner. "Amy!" he smiled happily.

Looking relieved, Amy ran into his arms, embracing him for dear life. Shadow held her tight, making her feel safe for the first time in days. "Shadow, I didn't think you'd be able to rescue me…"

"Are you mad?" he chuckled lightly. "I'd die trying to get you back." He gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "Anyway, you're safe now."

"—You people just don't give up, do you?" a wicked voice called coming down the hall.

Shadow pulled Amy out of her room, seeing that Rosy was making her way down the hall towards them, looking as pissed as ever. Shadow placed his hands on Amy's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I want you to run and not look back."

Amy faltered by his demand. "But Shadow-"

"—Run," he commanded more sternly.

Following his directive, Amy bolted down the next hall, leaving Shadow to deal with Rosy on his own. Now ready for battle, Shadow turned to face Rosy with resolve. Rosy continued her formidable stride towards the hybrid and brought her right hand upward before forming a tight fist. Shadow dropped to his knees as he felt his bones begin to crack one by one. "GAHH!"

"You think you're strong in here?" she shouted intensely. "In my world?" she laughed. Shadow withered on the floor as every bone in his legs began to break one by one, inflicting insufferable pain. A pain he hadn't felt since he changed as a werewolf over a thousand years ago. "I'm the one who makes the rules around here! I'm the one who says how you die!'

Tears pricked the corners of his eyes as the bones in his arms began to break "Ahhh!" Shadow screamed.

•~•

In reality, Mighty and Blaze continued to uphold the spell to keep Shadow inside Rosy's subconscious, but Silver grew distressed when he noticed Shadow twitching, as well as bleeding from his eyes. It was apparent that Shadow must have been putting up a fight or was losing terribly.

The wind whipped violently around them as Blaze and Mighty focused on chanting their conjuration.

"Hang in there, brother…" Silver encouraged.

•~•

Back in Rosy's head, the pink witch straddled Shadow as he stayed on his back, inflicting more torture on him. She used her thumbs to stab Shadow's eyes out repeatedly and took great pleasure in watching him cry out in agony. "The great and terrifying hybrid," she cackled. "How does it feel to be so powerless in my world?" she ridiculed.

She took her fingers out of his eye sockets, watching as his vampire nature healed them within seconds. While she was distracted looking at his face, Shadow had been working on reaching his knife tucked in his pants. Shadow opened his now healed eyes, with dried blood seeped down his muzzle. "You're the one who is about to be powerless," he shouted, lifting his hand with the knife ready to strike.

Luckily for Rosy, she caught sight of the weapon and knocked the knife out of his hand, sending it flying behind her. She laughed manically by his pathetic attempt. "How cute! You thought you'd win in here with ease, but this is my court, _hybrid_ ," she sneered. "Now, time to finish you off once and for all. She gripped him by the throat tightly. "Sayonara Shad-" Rosy froze, as she felt an intolerable pain in her right side. She looked down, noticing a knife plunged in her side.

Standing behind her was Amy, looking defiant and fed up with the pink witch. "Get the hell off my boyfriend, you witch!" she shouted before slugging Rosy across the face. Rosy toppled over from the punch, landing on her side with the knife still sticking out of her. Now choking on blood, Rosy stayed curled up on the floor as her life slipped away.

Shadow grunted as he sat up, still recovering from his injuries. "Rose…you saved my life, again."

She smiled at him before helping him stand. "Nobody gets between me and my man." A bright light began to form behind them and it seemed like the world was shrinking in on itself. "What's going on?" Amy asked, getting closer to him.

Shadow held onto her. "I'm not sure…"

•~•

Back in reality, Blaze, Silver, and Mighty were forced apart by an unseen force and quickly stabilized themselves from falling backward. The wind died down and their eyes all immediately flew towards Shadow and Amy, hoping they had succeeded. Shadow was the first to wake up and panted, trying to catch his breath. When he saw the other three looking in his direction, he turned his head looking at the other two bodies next to him. "Did you kill Rosy?" Silver inquired,

Shadow nodded and rubbed at his throat. "Not by my hands exactly, but she's dead. Why isn't Amy awake?" Shadow asked, feeling anxious about seeing Amy still unconscious.

"Perhaps her spirit is still settling?" Blaze conjectured.

Suddenly, Amy's body sat upright, inhaling a deep breath. Shadow mollified seeing her awake. "Thank god." Shadow leaned over and kissed Amy passionately. Smiling through the kiss, Amy wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. While the couple rekindled their lost time, another voice piped up in the distance.

"—Where am I?" a young female voice asked in the next room over.

"It's the children," Silver realized.

Mighty ran over and stepped into the room, where he spotted all the children beginning to wake from their long slumber. Most of them seemed very disoriented with their new surroundings and even frightened. "Everything's okay. You're safe now," he smiled with assurance.

Silver and Blaze joined Mighty in the next room, pleased to see everyone was safe and unharmed. Silver knelt down and lifted a frightened female blue chameleon into his arms and stood. "Let's get them back home. I'm sure Hendrix will be elated."

•~•


	26. The End of Another Chapter

In the early hours of the morning, Shadow and company showed up to Hendrix's home to safely return the children. The moment the group of children got out of the car, they surrounded their reagent eager and elated to be back in their community. Hendrix was practically shoved over as the children tackled him in hugs for affection. Stumbling slightly, Hendrix laughed joyously at their arrival.

"All safe and sound," Shadow proclaimed proudly as he, Amy, Silver, Blaze, and Mighty stood before him.

"I can't thank you enough for what you've done," the male cat gleamed.

Shadow shoved his hands into his jacket pockets coolly. "Don't," he shrugged. "We just did what was right while we rescued Amy from that deplorable witch."

"I realize you are trying to remain modest, but you could have easily tossed these children's lives to the side in order to get what you thought was more important." His head bowed in shame in realization for his past judgment. "I suppose I was wrong about your family…"

"You weren't wrong about us," Shadow disagreed. "A year ago I wouldn't have even considered their lives and would have remained selfish." Shadow reached over and wrapped a gentle arm around Amy's waist, bringing her close. "But because of Amy and bringing a child into this world, my morals have shifted to something better," he smiled sincerely.

Hendrix smiled. "Which is why I'm going to honor you and your family for all the help you gave our community. As soon as I arrange something I'll get in touch," he promised with a smile.

•~•

An hour later, Shadow and Amy drove to Mystic Ruins to pick up Faith. The moment they arrived, Amy hopped out of the car and slammed the door, eager to be reunited with her baby. Sonic and Sally were already standing out in front of their cabin while they anticipated their arrival. Shadow got out of his car and rushed over to join them.

Sonic opened his arms, beckoning Amy for a hug. The two embraced for a short moment, happy to be reunited again. "Nice to see you back in your original body, Ames," Sonic noted.

"It's good to be back," Amy smiled.

Shadow jogged over, joining the other three. "How was she? She wasn't too much trouble, was she?" he inquired curiously.

Sally went to open her mouth, but Sonic was quick to interject before she could speak. "—She was perfect!" he exclaimed. "She didn't cause us any issues."

Amy cupped her hands together, pleased by the news. "That's wonderful to hear. Um, is she still asleep or is she awake?"

"Naaah, she's out cold," Sonic waved. "I already have her all ready to go in her car carrier," he replied as he opened his front door. Sonic wandered into his living room and picked up her car carrier with her still sound asleep inside. On his way back outside, he grabbed the diaper bag to take with him. "Here she is!" he said in a hushed voice.

Shadow took the carrier with Faith from Sonic while Amy took the diaper bag. "Thanks again for looking after her. I can't thank you enough," Amy smiled.

"It's all good, Ames. We'd love to have her again," he said while he gave her thumbs up.

"Well, the sun's nearly up. I'm sure you two are just as exhausted, so we'll let you get back to bed. See you around," Shadow waved. The couple walked off with their child before loading her into the car and driving off.

While Sonic and Sally watched their car drive off into the distance, Sally nudged Sonic in his side with her elbow and gave him a disapproving look. "Why didn't you say anything about what happened on the road?"

Sonic rubbed at his side. "Sal, they already have enough stuff on their plate. Besides, it's not like anything bad happened. We don't even know if Faith was responsible for that phenomenon. It was just a crazy theory."

Sally crossed her arms over her chest, not feeling as certain on their decision to keep this information from Amy and Shadow. "I don't know, it just seemed like something they should be aware of…"

•~•

After putting Faith in her own crib, Amy and Shadow got undressed to catch some sleep themselves. It had been a long night and the two were absolutely exhausted. Shadow waited in bed and watched as Amy finished getting ready before slipping into bed herself. Carefully, she scooted into bed beside him, snuggling in close, and allowing him to embrace her under the sheets. Shadow spooned her from behind, as the two of them got comfortable under the crisp sheets. Silence filled the room as the two laid together, but there was something that had been bothering Shadow and weighing on his conscious for a few hours now. He didn't know quite how to approach it, but he knew he needed to get Amy's forgiveness before he could move forward. "…Amy?"

"Hm?" he heard her hum.

"There's something you need to be aware of when you were temporarily gone," he started reluctantly. "I don't want you to be mad, but I'll understand if you feel that way."

Amy immediately shifted over to face him and he was met with her concerned jade eyes. "Shadow, you don't need to explain yourself," she urged softly, rubbing his shoulder.

Shadow blinked a few times, trying to comprehend if she was already aware of what had taken place between himself and Rosy. "You…you know?"

Amy nodded reluctantly. "I was still trapped inside her and I saw everything." Right as the words left her mouth, Shadow's expression turned even guiltier and more embarrassed. He closed his eyes and turned his head in shame. Seeing him so upset pulled at her heartstrings even more. "Oh, Shadow, please don't feel ashamed for what took place. I know you did not want it to happen, so please…"

"—But it did," he cut off. "It takes two to tango and I willingly participated in it. I feel absolutely vile."

Amy reached out and placed a hand on the side of his face, turning it to look at her. He opened his eyes to look at her as he felt her touch. Her expression was soft and her eyes showed compassion. "Do not try to be a martyr in this situation. You were the victim in this, Shadow."

" _Victim_ ," he scoffed under his breath. Hating the taste of the word in his mouth. "That would make me _weak_ ," he said with contempt.

"I know what happened was not something you did to hurt me, Shadow. You may not want to appear weak at this moment, but I know that you truly feel sorry for what took place. Just know, that I still love you and I understand what you may be feeling right now. If you ever want to talk about it more, I'm always here to listen," she smiled sweetly.

He gave her a weak smile. "I don't deserve you, you know that, right?"

Amy leaned in closer and pecked him on the forehead. "No, you don't, but you earned me, just as I earned you," she winked.

Shadow encroached closer towards Amy's face, reached out, and cupped the side of it to pull her in for a kiss. Amy returned the kiss willingly, keeping it chaste as she embraced the moment.

•~•

The next evening, Mighty, Shadow, Amy, Faith, Silver, and Blaze joined Hendrix at his home as he honored them for rescuing their coven's youth. A large gathering sat outside the large estate, in front of a small stage. Amy sat in the front row, along with three reserved seats that were empty. In her lap, she held Faith who seemed to quite bubbly for the show. "—Hey, we're not too late, are we?" a familiar voice piped in from her right. She glanced over and spotted Sonic sneaking into the seat beside her, along with Sally and Caleb.

"Hey," She smiled at his appearance. "No, not at all. I think they're just about to start though!"

Sally settled into her seat. "This is really cool and so nice of them to be doing this for your family. Who'da thunk, huh?" she cracked.

Caleb leaned back in his own seat, getting comfortable for the event. "Not even I could've predicted this sight."

Amy hummed in thought by their comments. "I must admit; Shadow has really pulled things around. I just hope we can keep this trajectory going. I know he can do great things if he puts his mind to it."

Suddenly, the audience started to settle down their chatter when they spotted their leader walk on stage. Standing at his podium, Hendrix looked to his left where the four stood in wait to be honored by the noble witch. "Today we are here to give honorary recognition to four individuals who thrived in rescuing some of our talented youth. Now, not all of these four are a part of our community, but we will look to them as if they were in our faction."

Hendrix opened a small box set on top of the podium, which revealed four bright golden medals on a blue ribbon. "First, I would like to honor, Blaze the cat," he announced. Blaze walked up the steps and onto the stage, waving at the crowd as they applauded her. "She along with another I will honor used her magic to help rid the wicked and vengeful Rosy Rascal from tormenting our community and world."

Amy took a picture with her cellphone of her friend as she walked across the stage. Once Blaze got to the other end where Hendrix waited, he smiled and placed the medallion over her head. "Thank you," Blaze smiled.

"Of course," Hendrix nodded. He gestured for her to take a spot off to the side where she could stand and wait for the others to be honored. "Next, I would like to honor Silver the Hedgehog, one of the original vampires."

Silver walked up the steps to the stage, and walked across it, giving a small smile at the crowd clapping for him.

"He allowed himself to be used as an energy source to rid Rosy from this world and helped get the children safely transported back home."

Once Silver met the other end of the stage, he bowed his head, allowing Hendrix to place the medal around his neck. "Thank you, Hendrix."

In the audience, Amy took another quick picture of Silver receiving the award. She was determined to document every aspect of this event. She looked at the photo she had taken of the silver hedgehog, satisfied with the outcome of the picture.

Back onstage, Hendrix shook his hand and nodded in return. Once their exchange was done, Silver walked over and stood next to Blaze. The couple exchanged a smile towards each other before looking back out towards the crowd.

"Our next honoree happens to be a fellow witch, not from our coven exactly, but from a neighboring one. Please give a round of applause for Mighty the Armadillo!" Hendrix introduced.

The crowd erupted into a roar of applause as the red and black armadillo sauntered across the stage meekly, not used to the attention.

"Mighty used his calm nature under pressure to correctly make accurate decisions in the process of defeating Rosy Rascal. His strategy and talent in his craft are one of the reasons we have our children back today," Hendrix finished.

Mighty met Hendrix at his podium and stuck his hand out to shake. "You make me sound like a hero," he grinned sheepishly, still not used to the accolades.

Hendrix shook the young male's hand. "Don't doubt yourself, you _are_ a hero," he assured. With that said, Hendrix placed the medal around Mighty's neck. Mighty looked out to the crowd one last time and then joined Blaze and Silver.

"Finally, I would like to honor our final guest. Someone who I never thought I'd come to giving any sort of praise or recognition too. This individual has always had a bad reputation in our community, but last night, he proved that you can't always judge a book by its cover. Please put your hands together for Shadow the Hedgehog!"

The audience clapped as Shadow made his way onstage. Remaining unfazed, Shadow walked across the stage with confidence before stopping at the side of Hendrix's podium. "Nice introduction," he smirked.

Hendrix placed the medallion around the dark hedgehog's neck. "You need a good one for the likes of you," he smirked back. Shadow nodded and then walked over and joined the other three on stage.

Once again, Amy snapped another photo of her handsome boyfriend on stage. She blushed as she caught him catching her in the act of taking the photo. She knew Shadow didn't care to be photographed, but she could see he'd let it slide just for this one time.

Back onstage, Hendrix gestured to the four standing on stage together. "These four stopped a dangerous criminal from our community and bravely saved our youth from evil. Because of their courage and cadence, we shall make them honorary members of our coven, even if they are not of witch heritage." He turned to face his guests. "You are one of us now. Your friends are our friends, and your enemies are our enemies," he made explicit.

•~•

After the ceremony, Shadow, Amy, and Mighty swung downtown together to finally finish off the last end of their deal. Mighty parked his car on a street corner and stepped out of his vehicle. He looked over across the street, where he spotted Shadow and Amy getting out of their own vehicle. The couple walked across the street joining Mighty. "Are you ready?" Shadow asked.

Mighty gave a simple head nod and looked up at the building they prepared to enter: Station Square Asylum. He had pledged he would get Aurora out of this place, and finally, it was happening. "It's about time. Let's go." With that said, the three entered the building together to get Aurora released.

•~•

Twenty minutes later, four people walked out the front doors of the mental institute. Mighty guided a shaken and still rather weak Aurora down the stairs while Shadow and Amy followed closely behind. Now outside, Mighty, Aurora, Amy, and Shadow gathered by the street parking where their vehicles were parked. Realizing they'd have to part ways with their new friend, Shadow turned to look at the young the armadillo. "I suppose this is where it ends…"

Mighty rubbed the back of his neck. "I never thought there'd be a point in my life where I'd be working with an Original vampire. To be honest, it wasn't as bad as I'd imagined. You guys know how to excite a normally dull day," he laughed light-heartedly.

"We don't often have mundane days," Shadow shrugged. "Instead, we have many enemies, all who wish to take us down once and for all."

"Well, you guys have kept your promise just as you said you would. If you ever need a hand with something, don't hesitate to pick up the phone," he offered.

"The same goes for you," Shadow replied.

Aurora reached out and shook Shadow's hand. "Once again, thank you for helping Mighty release me from this dreadful place and put an end to that murderous witch."

Shadow smiled pleasantly at the echidna girl. "Thank you for having my girlfriend's back while you two were in there," he thanked.

Mighty wrapped an arm around Aurora, guiding her towards his parked car. "See you around, Shadow—you too, Amy!"

Amy waved at the two as they walked down the sidewalk together. "Goodbye!" she smiled. Once they got into the car together and drove off, Amy looked up to her boyfriend. "Do you think we'll see them again?" she inquired curiously.

He took her hand in his, entwining his fingers with hers. "Of course," he replied. "You can never have too many allies," he alluded.

•~•

Mighty's car pulled up to an old decrepit looking house and parked out front. Aurora squinted as she looked through the windshield, trying to determine their location. "Um, any reason why we made a pit stop here?"

Mighty pulled the keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the vehicle. "I just have to tie up some loose ends," he replied. Mighty reached for the handle to his door and opened it. "It shouldn't take too long, you can stay in the car if you like."

Aurora shot him an incredulous look by his offer. "No way!" She grabbed the handle to her car door and opened it, stepping out.

Following his lead, Aurora followed the armadillo into the abandoned home, taking notice of the creepy atmosphere of the building. The two walked down some creaky stairs to the basement.

Watching her friend lead them down to the dark basement started to set an uneasy feeling in her belly. "So, what exactly are you here for?" she inquired again.

Mighty stopped at the bottom of the steps with her hovering just behind him. "You'll see." His eyes glanced into the darkness. "Come out," he called.

Aurora gripped onto Mighty's left arm, feeling anxious at the unknown emerging from the void of darkness. "Mighty, whose down here?"

A female figure emerged from the darkness, stepping into the one bit light coming in through the cracks in the ceiling. Aurora looked confused when she saw it was another echidna like herself, except much older in age and appearance.

Gala-Na stared back at Mighty, looking annoyed to be disturbed. "I did not expect to see you here again. Did you succeed in taking down that witch?"

"Yes," he answered. "I was able to take Rosy Rascal down once and for all. I also managed to get Amy back in her proper body."

Aurora looked confused by the conversation taking place between the two. Just who exactly was this person?

Gala-Na nodded, taking in the information. "I see, very good. Is that all you came here to tell me?"

"No." Mighty stepped to the side and gestured to Aurora cowering behind him. "Do you recognize this girl?"

Gala-Na looked over to the pink echidna, peeking over the male's shoulder. "Of course I do. Hello, Aurora, happy to be back in control of your body again?" she smirked.

Aurora gasped, suddenly piecing together the information. "—Wait a second! This is this…Ivy?" she stammered.

Mighty nodded, confirming her suspicions. "Yes, this is the one who inhabited your body for a period of time, Aurora."

Gala-Na placed her arms over her chest. "I'm not sure what you hoped to accomplish by bringing the poor girl here. Can't you see she's a nervous wreck?"

Mighty stepped closer towards her. "I wanted her to take a look at you one last time before I kill you," he explained calmly.

Gala-Na blanched at the thought and opened her mouth to rebuke until someone else cut her off. "What now?"

He lifted out his right arm in her direction. "Now, it's time for you to perish."

"I knew you were a snake the moment I saw you," Gala-Na snapped. "I was right to warn Shadow about you!"

He brought his arm up and made a tight fist. Gala-Na crumpled to her knees and screamed in agony as he sent a mind attack to her brain. Her whole body cried out in pain by the affliction. "GAHH!"

"I'm not someone Shadow needs to worry about, it's you…"

She weakly got to her feet, already weak enough from being starved. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"How could I not," Mighty shouted back, insulted at the question. His brows knitted together in anger. "Because of you, I lost months of my life as your detestable son used my body to conspire. Both I and Aurora can never get that time back!"

Gala-Na looked back at the young female, taken aback by one important detail he seemed to be missing in this story. "Aurora, darling, did you not tell-"

"—I don't think you should try to plead for your life," she quickly cut off. "You are a crafty one after all."

Gala-Na scoffed by Aurora's elusiveness on her question. Her brows furrowed in her direction. "Foolish little girl…" she tsked.

"Don't talk down to her," Mighty reprimanded. His hand formed a tight fist causing her body to be rendered immobile. "Your time is numbered."

Gala-Na watched as Mighty approached her. "You think getting rid of me is going to make you feel better? Shadow will kill you if he finds out you were the one to kill me," she threatened.

"Why does he even have you down here? Clearly, you're no use to him, and according to my observations, he doesn't particularly like you either."

Still remaining frozen, Gala-Na sighed. "It's his form of punishment. He wants me to suffer here as a vampire, starving to death as I atone for my sins," she explained.

"Well, that's where Shadow and I differ. You're too dangerous to have to lurk in the Shadows down here." His hand reached out and touched her forehead.

Gala-Na tried to pull back from his touch, but because of his immobilizing spell, she was unable to move away. "What are you doing? Don't touch me!"

Suddenly, she felt a strong vacuum-like suction in her entire body. A green glow appeared around Mighty's hand absorbing some sort of energy. Aurora watched from the steps as Mighty ruthlessly drained her life force from her body. Gala-Na cried out as she felt herself begin to wither away to nothing. Her body slowly started to deteriorate, changing her fur from her vibrant color to an ashy grey. Mighty's expression stayed hardened, not fazing in the least as he sucked up every last drop. "I refuse to let you ruin someone else's life."

Once he had completely drained her life force, he released his spell keeping her restrained. Her deceased, grey body, crumbled to the floor. Now dead for good, Mighty turned on his heel and headed for the stairs where Aurora waited for him.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, leading her up the stairs and out of the basement. Aurora took one last look at Ivy's dead body, the elder witch had almost exposed her secret, but she'd find the right time to tell Mighty the truth.

•~•

 **AN:** Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's the end of this story arc. The next chapter there will be a major time jump. So for all of those that are interested in seeing an older Faith, you'll be very excited for the next story arc of this series. Expect another update in the next few days. Oh, and remember to leave me a review!


	27. A New Chapter A New Enemy

**AN:** Guys, I think there's been some confusion. This story is not ending, in fact, I have at least ten more chapters pre-written. We've still got a long way to go. All I meant was that the recent story arc had been finished. (An extended or continuing storyline) Hope that clears up any confusion. Also, thank you to my reviewers for the last chapter. Love you guys! Now, onto the next story arc of this story.

•~•

~Flash-forward: Eight Years Later~

Hitting up the local carnival, Twinkle Park, Sonic, Sally, Caleb, and Andrew walked through the busy festival in Station Square's downtown area. The place was absolutely packed with guests enjoying the nightlife, food, games, and most of all, carnival rides.

Holding her hand, Sonic guided Sally through the food district of the fair. The four had just come off one of the roller coasters and some of them still had a bit of an adrenaline high.

"Woo!" Andrew cried out in excitement. "That one was hands down my favorite. Let's go again," he encouraged.

Caleb wobbled slightly as he walked, still reeling from the intense ride. He looked back at the wooden roller coaster in the background. "Feel free to go again, but leave me out of it. I'm still riding it."

Andrew wrapped an arm over the dingo's shoulder. "You're such a wuss, man."

"Hey, knock it off," Sally scolded the dog. "Some people like those types of rides and others don't. You're lucky you even managed to get him on the damn thing in the first place."

Caleb shot her an appreciative smile and nodded. "Thanks."

The group stopped in between a few competing food stands. The blue hedgehog looked among the options before getting in line for one in particular. Sally followed her husband as he eyed the menu hungrily. "Let me guess, chili dogs?"

He dug his free hand into his jacket, rummaging for his wallet. "Of course," he laughed. "You know they're my absolute favorite."

Andrew made an expression of revulsion as he spotted a recent customer walk past with a fresh chilidog. His sensitive nose picked up the sent of the fake meat, loaded with processed cheese. He placed a hand to his mouth, trying to keep from upchucking his lunch. "Man, how can you eat those things? They're gnarly!"

"Gotta agree with Drew, those things can't be good for your stomach," Caleb pointed.

"Hey, hey!" Sonic waved in defense. "I've been eating these things since I was eight and clearly you can see I'm in perfectly good health," he defended. "And in great shape," he added, smirking and flexing his right arm.

Sally laughed lightly by his defense of his favorite food. She wasn't the biggest fan of the food either, but she never tried to belittle his choice of food, since it brought him such joy. "Come on, boys. Don't pick on Sonic for his food choices. Go pick something else to eat, okay?" Sally looked over at the small food court station set up nearby. There, she spotted a few available benches for them to sit at and eat their meals. "We'll meet up and eat our food at those benches," she pointed.

Caleb and Andrew looked at one another before shrugging and wandering further off to explore the other food options. Once the other two were gone, Sonic leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek that took her by surprise. "Oh, what was that for?"

He gave her an endearing smile. "For sticking up for me, ya know?" The two moved further up in line, getting closer to the ordering station.

She smiled back, hooking her arm with his. "Don't thank me. I know how much you love them."

"So," he segued. "You having fun tonight?"

"Yeah, I am actually. I'm happy you convinced me to come out here, I haven't been to a carnival since," she paused for a moment. "Well, since my parents were alive…"

The two moved up again in line and Sonic sensed the trouble in her voice. He knew she was sensitive when it came to discussing her deceased immediate family. "We can make even more happy memories," he assured.

Leaning in for a kiss, Sally closed her eyes just as Sonic inched in closer towards her face. Their lips nearly met until a shrill voice interrupted their sweet moment.

"—Neeext!" Sonic and Sally pull apart and looked out the window at the food booth. The male cashier looked at them impatiently. "Well, what are you two having?"

Sonic looked at the menu and began to list off all the items he wanted to be ordered.

While Sonic took forever to name all the food he wanted, Sally's gaze drifted to her right, out into the crowds. She enjoyed watching the other families and guests smiling from ear to ear and enjoying the night. There were so many happy faces, that it took away the painful memories of her deceased family. Her eyes drifted to another part of the crowd spotting an ominous figure staring straight back at her.

A lean, purple chameleon, stood in the crowd and stared back at Sally with a targeting look. He was wearing a grey hoodie and a large black backpack, camouflage cargo pants, and black colt ford boots. His daunting yellow eyes pierced a hole straight through her. It wasn't like he was trying to check her out or catch her attention, but it almost seemed like he was trying to threaten her with his stare. Sally pried her eyes away for a quick second, wondering if she had mistaken his actions. She looked back and was met with the same unnerving glare from the strange male.

"—Hey, Sal…Earth to Sal!" a voice cut in. Sally came out of her daze, shaking her head and looking to her left at her concerned husband. He along with the impatient cashier looked at her with confusion for her space cadet act.

She placed a hand to her cheek, feeling it flush in embarrassment for prolonging their order. "Geez, sorry about that, Sonic."

Sonic cocked a brow at her. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"Uh, no, just a soda," she replied quickly.

"One soda for my girl," Sonic repeated to the cashier. The food cashier typed it into the cash register getting their total. While they waited for their total to be announced, Sally looked back towards the area she had last seen the strange reptile but realized he was now gone. "That'll be $13.50," the cashier announced.

Sonic handed him the money and waited for his change and receipt. While he waited he looked back at his wife with concern. "Babe, you okay?"

She brushed at her bangs softly. "It's fine, it was nothing," she dismissed. "I was just zoning out while looking at the crowd is all."

Sonic accepted his change and receipt and the two walked over to the other window where they waited to receive their food. "You sure?" he asked with doubt.

"Yeah," she nodded. She backed up smiling at her husband playfully. "Now, if you don't mind I'm going to find a bathroom real quick. Save me a seat next to you?"

He winked in her direction as he waited in line to pick up his food. "Always."

Turning on her heel, Sally wandered the amusement park in search of a restroom facility. Seeing a small building in sight, she smiled in relief when she spotted a bathroom sign. Sally rushed around the side of the building and headed straight for the female's bathroom. But just as she was about to reach the woman's restroom a loud explosion erupted from the direction she had just come from. Everything shook as the loud boom came roaring in her direction.

She stabilized herself as she felt the floor shake beneath her and when she looked for where the explosion had come from; she spotted a large cloud of smoke licking at the night sky. Flames lapped at the side of one of the wooden roller coasters making her heart sink. Screams echoed around her as panic rained down at the carnival. Families and guests fled for their lives, running past, or knocking into her. They were desperate to get out of there in case another explosion happened.

This place was under attack but who was doing it? Then she realized that the wooden roller coaster that was engulfed in flames was right near the food stations. It was the same ride they had on been only twenty minutes ago. "…Sonic."

She started to run back in that direction, when suddenly the purple chameleon she had seen before, appeared in her pathway. She halted in her tracks and stared at the stranger, realizing that this was not some sort of coincidence. Clearly, he had some sort of business with her. "Who are you?" she shouted. The two were left alone by the bathroom facilities as they glared each other down.

The strange male reptile reached into his unzipped backpack and pulled out a small handheld crossbow and aimed it in her direction. "Espio," he replied calmly. "But that's not going to really matter soon."

Espio shot one arrow towards her but Sally grabbed it mid-air before it could even strike her. Looking annoyed by his attempt, she broke it with ease in the hand she had grabbed it and tossed it to the side. "I don't have time for this, now get out of my way!" she screamed rushing towards him.

Espio tossed his weapon to the side and instead grabbed for the two knuckle knives he had clipped to either side of his hips. Unsheathing them, he ran at her and forced her into hand-to-hand combat. Sally dodged one of his initial swings towards her face and kneed him in the gut. Espio gasped as he felt her powerful strike with her werewolf strength. When he fell to the ground, he managed to get a swipe with one of his knives at the back of her ankle.

Sally cried out, feeling the blade slice at her ankle. She collapsed to the ground, clutching her injured leg. Espio got back up to his feet and walked towards her with his weapons at the ready.

He raised his right arm up ready to strike at her head, when her eyes brightly illuminated yellow, signaling she was tapping into her werewolf form to gather more strength. Surprising him, she got up to her feet in seconds and slugged him across his face multiple times, sending him flying backward and into an abandoned popcorn vendor. The whole thing toppled over as his body made an impact with the machine, making him grunt and groan.

Weakly, Espio shuffled off the machine just as he heard a warrior cry. He looked up only to see Sally in midair with her fist ready to strike. He leaped out of the way just as she came down with a thunderous punch to the concrete, shattering the ground and creating multiple cracks to the surface. Espio caught his breath as he witnessed her monstrous strength, this must have been what she benefitted from by marrying that hybrid hedgehog. Her werewolf strength had drastically improved thanks to the vampire nature Sonic shared with her, despite her not being a hybrid like him.

"That's some strength you have," he commented, standing upright.

"Idiot," she spat. Sally confidently walked over to finish over this assassin. "It's gonna take a lot more than a cut to take me down."

Espio put one of his knives down on the floor and reached for something in his pocket. Fumbling slightly, he pulled out a small metallic-looking silver ball and tossed it over in her direction. The ball came to a rolling halt directly underneath her and let out a powerful white smoke. Sally shut her eyes and tried to waft the smoke away from around her. Unfortunately, the smoke-shrouded her completely and she began to break out into a fit of coughs. Choking on the chemical like substance she was seemingly inhaling, Sally dropped down to her knees, unable to catch her breath.

The smoke was burning her skin and the inside of her lungs as she desperately tried to avoid breathing it in. Stuck stationary, Sally suddenly determined this wasn't any normal smoke bomb. "…Wolfsbane," she croaked. Wolfsbane was a potent and poisonous plant used against werewolves if consumed enough it could even kill a werewolf. However, right now, it was only being used to weaken her.

Espio pulled up a bandana around his neck and used it as a mask for him to breathe easier. "Clever girl." He leaped into the smoke and used it to cloak his whereabouts. Sally could sense he was hidden within the smoke, but because it burned too much to open her eyes, she was now completely vulnerable to his attacks.

She felt a whack from the left side of her face and felt her cheek slice open. She cried out and fell to her side. Then she felt a strong whack to her right side, further winding her. Sally hunched over on the ground, wheezing uncontrollably. Espio grabbed her from the back of her hair and lifted her off the floor and stood behind her. He pulled her body flush against his core and used his other hand to press one of the knuckle blades against her throat. "You put up a decent fight, but it ends here," he whispered into her ear.

Before he could slit her throat, a blue blur rushed and tackled him to the floor. The female chipmunk fell to the ground; relieved she had been saved in the knick of time. "Sally!" another familiar voice cried out.

Now on her hands and knees, she felt two people come up from behind her and lift her to her feet. The two helped carry and guide her out of the battle zone. Gasping for breath, they took her to an area where the smoke had not lingered. "Take it easy," a smooth southern voice guided. Relief flashed across her features knowing she was in Caleb's hands now. "Take long slow breaths," he continued.

Sally rubbed at her eyes as Andrew and Caleb sat her down on a bench. "Where's Sonic?" she questioned.

"He's dealing with that punk at the moment," Caleb replied.

She opened her eyes, allowing her vision to adjust. She could see a large blue figure kicking the shit out of that assassin she had been previously dealing with. "Sonic…" When her vision finally focused, she spotted him in his werewolf form. He and Espio were currently clashing together.

"We came looking for you as soon as that explosion happened," Andrew added. "Most everyone is gone from the park, but we have no clue what caused it."

"I don't think that explosion was an accident," Sally stated. "I think it was intentional and I'm positive that guy has something to do with it," she pointed.

Caleb and Andrew looked to where she was pointing and saw it was directed at the chameleon. "What makes you think that?"

"What kind of person attacks a werewolf in a public location around mortals," she countered. "I saw him earlier in the crowds. He didn't attack me then, he wanted me alone to take me out. I think he set up that diversion to draw out everyone else out in order to get me alone."

"Wait," Caleb intervened. "You saw him before? Where?"

"It was when we were getting food. He was just staring at me and it wasn't in a nice way…"

A painful howl cried out, and the three pulled their attention back when they spotted Espio riding Sonic's back with the knuckle knives plunged into his backside around his shoulder blades. Sally started to get up to assist her wounded husband. "Sonic!" she cried out.

Caleb grabbed her by the arm, keeping her restrained. "Don't, it's too dangerous. You could get hurt. Besides, you just told us he's after you!"

"Yeah, but Sonic's really hurt. We need to help him!" she urged.

Looking determined, Andrew got up. "Stay here," he ordered. "I'll go," he volunteered. Caleb and Sally watched as Andrew raced into action.

Digging his knives further into Sonic's back, the blue wolf whimpered as Espio inflicted pain that froze him into submission. Andrew charged at Espio, tackling and smashing him into one of the dumpsters. "You're dead!" the dog shouted.

Andrew punched him over and over in the face, causing Espio's face to snap right and left. Blood flew in all directions from the chameleon's mouth as it flung from side to side.

While Andrew kept Espio preoccupied, Sally and Caleb rushed over to tend to Sonic. Sonic had already transformed back into his natural form when they two got back. Seeing his nude form out on display, Caleb grabbed a nearby picnic tablecloth and draped it around his alpha. "You okay, man?"

Sonic groaned and pushed himself up slightly, holding onto the shroud to keep his modesty. He winced feeling his wounds throb on his backside. Sally gasped looking at the blood seeping through the cloth. "Your back…"

He gave her a strained grin, trying to assure her. "I'm fine, it's just a scratch…"

Police sirens sounded in the distance as the authorities and paramedics came to the rescue. Seeing his opportunity slipping to take out his true target, Espio cursed under his breath. "Shit..."

Andrew gripped him by the collar of his hoodie. "Yeah, buddy, you're done now. The cops are here!"

Espio knew he needed to get out of there if he wanted to be able to retreat, heal, and attempt his assassination another time. He'd definitely get the opportunity to try again, but he knew it'd be harder. Growling in frustration, he lifted his left leg up and kicked Andrew enough to free himself from his hold.

The dog stumbled backward and held his injured groin where his foot had landed. "Fuck!"

Espio did a backflip on top of the dumpster and pulled something else out from his backpack. Holding it up for Andrew to see, his face blanched when he realized what it was. Espio used his teeth to pull the key out before tossing it at Andrew. Espio ran towards one of the fences and climbed it with ease before hopping down the other side.

The item Espio had thrown rolled directly under Andrew and came to a full stop. Andrew turned around to look at his friend to warn them of the danger, knowing it was too late for him. "Get outta-"

BOOM!

The grenade exploded, taking out the canine with it and leaving only bits of singed flesh in its wake. Caleb tried to shield the couple by laying his body on top of the two from any flying debris. When the explosion settled, Sally screamed out in horror that one of her packmates got obliterated before her eyes. "Andrew!" she bellowed in terror.

•~•

A week later, in a large warehouse, Hendrix, stood before his people along with a few other covens from different communities. The different covens of Station Square had come together as one over the years and all had transitioned well to the new fit. There were some familiar faces in the crowd—like Mighty, who had grown a couple of years older, along with Aurora, who he was now exclusively dating. The couple sat side by side as they listened to Hendrix give his sermon.

The black cat clasped his hands together as he paced slowly in front of the large crowd. "It's been five years since we formed an alliance with Shadow and his family, and now it's brought peace to our community. Sure we still have our occasional outside threats, but we've worked hard on our established alliance and so far it's working. But, we can't afford to turn a blind eye. Our community will be challenged again," he forewarned.

Some of the crowd exchanged confused looks as to what Hendrix was alluding to. The audience began to erupt into whispers of speculation and rumors.

Seeing a bit of panic begin to form, Hendrix raised his hands up to silence the chatter. "Let me continue," he pleaded. "We all know Shadow has plenty of enemies and-" A hand shot up in the crowd.

Hendrix pointed at the individual. "Yes?"

"Are you saying we should expect things to heat up again?" one of the members questioned nervously.

Hendrix nodded. "It already has. According to my sources, there has been a surge of hunters on the roam. They seem to be targeting the pack in the Mystic Ruins, run by Sonic and his wife Sally. We're not sure what caused this influx, but we believe it could be tied to something much more sinister."

Aurora turned to look at her boyfriend. "I didn't know about this," she whispered quietly as Hendrix continued to talk. "Are Sonic and Sally alright?"

"As far as I know they are," he replied quietly. "I'm sure we'll get more information soon."

•~•

~Two Days Later~

Now seven-years-old, Faith sat on her front porch drawing in her sketchbook. The young hedgehog wore a yellow t-shirt, a pair of jean overalls, white sneakers, and kept her quills out of her face in a simple short ponytail. Her quills weren't very long yet but were just now long enough to be able to put up with a scrunchie. Humming to herself, Faith held a crayon in her right hand and scribbled away happily.

Every day after school, Faith would park herself on the front porch and wait for her father to arrive home. In recent months, Shadow had found himself quite busy, either with tending to Sonic's pack, helping the witches in town, or taking care of family matters. Because Faith was away at school for so many hours, it seemed like she never got to spend much quality time with her father nowadays. So by waiting for him outside, Faith jumped on the opportunity to spend as much time with him as possible.

Suddenly, her ears twitched when she heard a car coming down the road. Looking up and away from her drawing, her face brightened when she spotted the familiar car coming down the road. Shadow's black SUV pulled into their driveway and Faith instantly got to her feet to run down the steps to greet her father. Shadow emerged from his parked car and closed his door just as he spotted his daughter running towards him.

"Daddy!" she shouted giddily.

Shadow smiled warmly as she ran over and embraced him around his legs. He patted the top of her head softly. "Hello, sweetheart."

"Where have you been all day?" she asked, looking up at him, with her innocent red eyes.

Shadow bent down and scooped her up into his arms. "Work, you know that you silly girl," he cracked.

Faith put her hands against his chest as he carried her back towards their front entrance. "What do you do all day?" she asked tilting her head at him. "Where do you work?" she questioned curiously.

Shadow hesitated for a moment, showing a bit of reluctance on revealing his true, _"career"._ Shadow didn't exactly have a typical moneymaking job like most mortals. Instead, he worked by helping out the supernatural community. Over the years, he and many others had grown to trust him, and by doing so, he gained a lot of respect back in his community.

Since Faith still wasn't aware of Shadow's dark past, he intended to keep it that way until she was older. For now, she didn't need to know of the monster Shadow, at times, could truly be.

Coming out of his thoughts, Shadow shook his head playfully at her curiousness. "We've discussed this before, sweetheart, you're not going to find it to be anything fascinating. It's all a bunch of paperwork nonsense. Nothing an seven-year-old would find interesting," he waved off.

Faith stuck her lower lip out in a pout and bowed her head sadly. "I wish you'd take me with you so I could see you at work. I miss you when you go on work trips…"

Shadow stopped at their front door and gently lowered her back down onto the floor. Once she was back on her feet, Shadow knelt down to her level, looking her directly in the eyes. "You know I miss you just as much, if not more when I have to go away. Just know that when I'm away, I'm helping many people with various problems. You know I always come back."

Right then, Faith felt a hopeful smile return to her face. He was right, every time she thought her father wouldn't return, he did. There were plenty of times he'd be gone for days, even weeks on end, but he'd always return.

"Let's go inside now," he instructed, before opening the front door.

Faith started to go inside before remembering she had left her art supplies on the porch. "Wait!"

Shadow watched as she scurried over to the right side of the porch and bent over to pick up her sketchbook and crayons. With them all gathered up in her arms disorganized, she ran back over to her father, clutching them proudly against her chest. "I want to show you my new drawing!" she exclaimed happily.

"I can't wait to see it," he smiled. "Now, head inside and get ready for dinner. I'm sure your mother's nearly finished."

She nodded frantically. "Okay!" With that said, the young hedgehog rushed inside carrying all her supplies.

Shadow chuckled to himself and walked in, smelling the gorgeous aroma of Italian food. Closing the front door behind him, Shadow lifted his head, closed his eyes, and inhaled the wonderful scent of garlic, sage, Parmesan, and oregano all concocting together. He walked over to the table by the front door and dropped off his keys on the table right by a framed picture of Amy and himself at their wedding.

He smiled at the picture, remembering that fateful day 6 years ago. Next to their picture was a picture of Faith just as a toddler, but apart from their wedding as the flower girl. He still couldn't believe how much time had flown by already.

After a few moments of reminiscing, Shadow walked into the kitchen, spotting the table already set for dinner. "Hello gorgeous," he purred smoothly, spotting his wife in front of the stove.

Amy turned around wearing her stained apron to look at her husband. She held a wooden spoon covered in sauce she had been using to stir her homemade tomato sauce, but her face beamed as she stared at her husband. "Hey, how was your day?"

"Hectic, as always." Shadow walked over in her direction and gave her a peck on the lips. "There are more werewolf hunters on the loose. Sonic and I tracked a few of them down and _finished_ them," he specified.

Amy continued to stir her sauce. "I don't understand why there's been such an increase. Do you guys have any theories?" she questioned.

"We're not sure yet, but I'm sure we'll be able to figure out why sooner than later. They seem to be trying to target Sally specifically, although we aren't sure why," he replied before noticing the absence of his brother and sister-in-law. "Where are Silver and Blaze? I see you've set the table for five."

"They left a few hours ago to do some shopping. They said they promised they'd be back in time for dinner," Amy answered.

"Right," Shadow murmured. "By the way, how is Faith doing with her training? Is she improving?" he inquired.

Since she had gotten older, both Mighty and Blaze had been helping Faith embrace and control her magic. Faith was quite talented and picked up on new routines and spells quite quickly, but if she couldn't keep her emotions in check, things could get out of hand rather fast.

"According to Blaze, she's getting better and better every day. Although she seems to have dampened her mood on furthering her education—instead, Faith is more interested in spending time with her _Father_ ," Amy emphasized.

"She'll have plenty of quality time with me when she's older. I'm not going anywhere, I'm immortal, remember?" he gestured. "Besides, she needs to focus on crafting and honing her skills. She'll be a very powerful witch one day."

Amy sighed as she began to plate up their dinner. "Yes, she knows that, but right now, with you being gone all the time, she misses you. She wants you around to play with, to take her out, to be her father," she pointed. "She looks up to you, you know."

"It's not that I don't enjoy being around her, but right now I'm working on securing safety for her. We can't let our guard down at any moment," he made clear.

"—Mom, Dad, what are you talking about?" Faith asked, now standing behind them.

"Oh," Amy smiled innocently. "Nothing important, sweetie." She walked over

and knelt down to her level. "Did you wash up for dinner?"

Faith nodded. "Yes, mama."

"Good girl, go take your seat," she instructed. The two parents watched as their child wandered over to her seat at the dinner table and took a seat. Standing back upright, Amy leaned in towards Shadow's ear. "We'll talk about it later," she discreetly whispered.

•~•

Later that night, in the Mystic Ruins, Sally stood by the lake at one of the many graves headstones. As she stood at the headstone, deep in thought someone walked up behind her. Remaining calm, Sally turned only to see Sonic standing in the background. "You visiting Andrew again?" he assumed.

She nodded sadly. "Yeah, I came to give him an update on everything that's been happening. I know he'd want to be kept in the loop," she laughed lightly.

Sonic gave her a weak smile. "What's the number at now, twelve hunters dead?"

"Twelve, that's right," she concurred. "And all in the span of a week."

Sonic sauntered up beside his wife and looked down at Andrew's headstone. "Don't worry, bud, we're planning on getting down to the bottom of this and figuring out why these assholes are targeting our queen."

"—There seems to be a new target on the rise," another voice piped in.

Sonic and Sally turned only to spot Mighty Armadillo in their presence. "Might, what brings you here?" he smiled.

"Nothing good, I'll tell you that," he explained as he approached them. "Hendrix sent me down as errand boy to get some assistance from you guys."

Sally tilted her head, perplexed on what type of assistance they could possibly want. For the most part, the witches didn't need much asking for help. If anything, it was the other way around. The vampires and werewolves would go to them when they needed assistance the most. "What's going on?" she asked curiously.

"In the past two days, children have been going missing in our community. First, we lost a twelve-year-old girl, last night we lost a ten-year-old boy," he explained.

"And what, you can't locate them with magic?" Sonic deduced.

Mighty nodded, "Correct. Whoever has been nabbing them is using some sort of cloaking spell to conceal their whereabouts. We've tried doing a bunch of spells to find any loopholes but we're coming up short."

"Hunters after the wolves and now someone is kidnapping young witches," Sonic repeated in wonder. "What's next…"

"I know Shadow's been trying to help you resolve your own issue, but we were wondering if there was any way at this moment you could help us," Mighty pleaded. "We know you're under a threat of your own, but I will protect you in our journey of finding these missing children," he promised.

"No sweat, pal," Sonic smiled. "Sal and I will help you out. We all know when it comes to kids, we don't let people mess with them."

"What does this recent child that went missing look like?" Sally probed.

Mighty pulled out a flyer from his back pocket and handed it over to the couple. Sonic and Sally studied the picture of the little male skunk. "This is Jay, he's ten years old."

•~•

Speaking of Jay, in another part of town, Jay wandered through an abandoned house with a flashlight in hand. Still wearing his school backpack, the young skunk walked in a dazed-like state as he explored the abandoned home. Using his flashlight to search the darkened area, his torch stopped on something in the far back corner glowing faintly red. Encroaching closer to examine the entity, Jay stared in awe and wonder at the red orb floating just a few feet off the floor.

He stopped in his tracks for a moment to really look at it from a safe distance, before he heard a whisper beckoning for him to come closer. _"Come, my child,"_ it hissed ominously.

Even though he believed himself to have better judgment, there was something deep within that was telling him to move closer despite his better instincts. Slowly, the young boy dawdled closer to get a better examination of this entity. However, just as he was mere inches away from the red orb, it became overbearingly bright, practically blinding him.

Jay screamed out as he shielded his eyes from the intensity.

•~•

Back at Shadow's estate, Faith sat straight up and screamed out a blood-curdling scream as she awoke from a nightmare. Within seconds, her bedroom door swung open and she spotted the silhouette of her father standing in the doorway. Wiping at her teary eyes, Shadow flipped on the light switch to her room before sweeping in towards her bed to tend her needs. "Sweetheart, what happened?" he cooed with regard. Faith waited until her father sat on the side of her bed before cuddling up next to him. Shadow watched as she buried her face into his chest.

Sighing, Shadow wrapped an arm around his daughter to console her frightened demeanor. "Did you have a bad dream?" he inquired softly. Faith nodded frantically, as she continued to sob. Stroking her back soothingly, Shadow kissed the top of her head. "It's alright my darling, it was just a bad dream. Nothing that happens in a dream can hurt you," he assured.

"I know," she replied, sniffling. Faith pried her face away from his chest to look up at him. "But will you stay with me until I fall back asleep?" she asked quietly.

Shadow nodded with a genuine smile. "Of course."

Smiling weakly in return, Faith moved back and settled into bed. In the meantime, Shadow rose from his sitting position to tuck her back in. As he walked around her bed, his foot stepped onto a piece of paper left on the floor. Kneeling down to get a better look, Shadow lifted up the crinkled paper only to realize he had accidentally stepped on one of Faith's drawings.

As Shadow stared at the picture, he raised a brow unsure of what the illustration was supposed to be. It was some sort of glowing red infinite square that looked quite mystical. Shrugging it off, Shadow walked back over and switched off her bedroom light before climbing into bed with her. Lying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling as he waited for Faith to fall back asleep.

Unbeknownst to him, on the other side of the bed, there were more scattered papers of the same picture Shadow had just come across. Faith seemed to be fascinated with drawing it repeatedly for reasons, even she could not explain.


	28. Tangled up in Red

**AN:** Oh boy, I like some of your predictions, you guys! Some of you have interesting theories and some others are spot on with their predictions. Anyway, gotta give some shout outs to my reviewers like: Janttun3n, Shadorougeforever, risingzero1984, aliciathewolf45, MissMJS, roxey, and Captain. Thanks for your reviews on my last chapter. I appreciate it. I hope people don't mind but from here on out, expect the chapters to be a bit longer. I use to write chapters between 3000-4000 words, but now I'm pushing around 5000-7000 words just so this story isn't like 80 chapters long, lol!

•~•

The next morning, Amy rolled over in bed only to realize Shadow was not there. Getting up, the pink hedgehog groggily made her way out of bed and grabbed her robe draped over one of the lounge chairs in the room. Quickly throwing it on, Amy made her way down the hall and peeked into Faith's bedroom and smiled softly as she spotted Shadow sleeping in Faith's twin bed. Giggling quietly at the sight, she watched as one of Shadow's ears twitched to the sound of her chortle. Opening his eyes, he shot her a simple smirk before sitting up to get out of bed.

Amy waited for him to leave Faith's bedroom as she continued to sleep. Once Shadow was out of her room, he quietly closed her bedroom door behind him. "Sorry about that," he spoke quietly. "I had planned to return to bed once I had tended to her, but I must have dozed off."

Amy clutched at the front of her robe as she looked up at him. "What happened last night?" she asked quietly, trying to keep her voice down.

Shadow signaled her to follow him as they made their way downstairs. "She had a bad dream and she wanted me to stay with her until she fell asleep."

Amy walked down the steps behind him. "Poor thing…"

"Yes, well…it's all about growing up I suppose," Shadow mumbled. Once downstairs, the two headed for the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast, knowing Faith would be waking up in the next 10 to 20 minutes.

•~•

Ten minutes later, Faith came running downstairs fully dressed. The little pink hedgehog came rushing into the kitchen, bouncing with her every step. Shadow and Amy sat at the kitchen table enjoying their coffee as they spotted their daughter bounding towards them. Faith screeched to a halt and placed her hands on the table. "Good morning!"

"Morning," Amy replied. "I got you breakfast started," Amy said, reaching for the box of fruity cereal and pouring it into the empty bowl in front of her.

Faith watched as her mother continued by pouring some fresh milk from the pitcher on the table into her bowl. "Thanks, mom."

Amy smiled. "No problem, sweetheart."

Faith took a bite of her cereal, crunching on it while she stared at her parents. She swallowed before coming to another thought. "How come I never really see you guys eat food?" she pondered.

Shadow and Amy exchanged a look for a quick moment. "Oh, well, we already had a bite to eat before you woke up," Amy smiled sheepishly.

"So you don't want any of his yummy cereal," she asked offering out her bowl.

Shadow waved a dismissive hand, denying her offer. "It's not really our preference, darling." A few moments later, both Silver and Blaze sauntered in, still in their PJ's. "Morning," Blaze smiled as she headed towards the coffee pot.

"Morning," Silver yawned before walking over to the kitchen table and taking a seat.

"Uncle Silver, are you tired?" Faith asked curiously.

"A bit," he replied. Blaze walked back over towards the kitchen table and handed Silver one of the two coffee cups she held. "Thanks, love," he smiled.

Just as Faith went back to eating, two loud knocks came from the front door. "I'll get that." Getting up from the table, Shadow headed for the front door to answer it.

A few moments later, Shadow came back into the kitchen with Sally and Sonic. The couple looked troubled as they entered the room, not looking in their brightest spirits. Seeing their figures, Faith swiftly dismounted her seat and rushed over to welcome their new arrivals. "Uncle Sonic and Aunt Sally!" she rejoiced, hugging them both.

For the first time that morning, Sonic cracked a weak smile. "Hey there, kiddo," he replied, ruffling the top of her hair.

Amy stood to greet her friends. "Sonic, Sally, what brings you here?"

The cerulean hedgehog rubbed the back of his neck apprehensively, thinking about Mighty's words last night. "I can't lie, it's nothing good…"

Sensing trouble, Shadow nodded his head, signaling them to take their discussion into the next room. As much as he knew Faith enjoyed having Sonic and Sally over for company, he did not want her to hear their conversation in case it frightened her. Silver instinctively stood and followed them, taking his coffee with him. Faith watched as the four adults headed into the living room, leaving Amy, Blaze, and herself behind. Faith looked up at her mother as she remained by her side. "What's going on, mama?"

"I'm not sure, but let's leave Dad, your uncle, and the others alone to talk." Amy escorted Faith back to her seat, helping her up. "Just finish your breakfast," she softly ordered while she turned on the small kitchen TV in the corner. Amy switched it to a kid-friendly channel for Faith to watch while she finished her breakfast, but Amy walked over to the sink to finish some cleaning. As she turned on the running water, she heightened her vampire hearing to eavesdrop in on the conversations taking place in the next room over.

•~•

In the living room, Sonic and Sally sat on one of the couches together, while Shadow and Silver sat on the one opposite them. "What's going on then?" Shadow probed, wanting to get straight into business.

"Something calculated," Sally began. "Last night, Mighty came to us because their youth is going missing. We helped and searched all night, but we've been unable to track their scent or to find them. It's almost as if they've completely fallen off the face of the Earth."

"These children," Shadow began, "There's no chance they just ran away from home, is there?" Shadow theorized.

Sonic shook his head with certainty. "According to Silver and Hendrix, these children are not the types to do so. They're top of their class and generally good kids. Running away from home is out of character for them."

"How many have disappeared so far?" Shadow stroked his chin.

"As of this morning, it's up to three now," Sally answered.

"And you said you were unable to find their scents?" Silver continued.

"Yes, we've had multiple search parties and none of us can trace them," Sonic answered.

Three missing children in such a close time period was troubling. Knowing how this worked, Shadow knew they had a short amount of time before the likelihood of the missing children's survival ran up. "What clues do you have so far?"

Sonic and Sally exchanged looks for a moment before looking back at Shadow. "Well, these markings have started to appear around Station Square. We've never seen anything quite like it, but we were hoping since you've been around much longer than us, maybe you'd know something about it," Sonic explained.

"We have no time to waste then," Shadow deduced as he stood to his feet. Sonic and Sally mimicked his actions. "Silver, can you stay behind and watch over the girls?"

Silver finished taking another sip of his coffee. "Of course," he replied. "I'll handle things here."

"Thanks." Shadow looked back at Sonic and Sally. "Take me back to your camp and I'll help out the best I can."

Sonic nodded. "Thanks, Shads."

Shadow and Silver popped back into the kitchen and Faith looked over to the entrance. She watched as Sally and Sonic cut through the kitchen to head towards the front door together. "Seeya later, kiddo," Sonic saluted her way. Sally waved at Faith as she passed by.

Faith looked over to her father who was now whispering something to her mother as she stood by the sink. Amy simply nodded, comprehending whatever he was telling her and he ended the conversation with a peck on the lips.

Shadow turned on his heel just as Faith reached out to him. "Daddy, where are you going?" she said, stopping him in his tracks. Shadow turned to give her, his full attention. "I thought we could play together…"

Shadow walked back over to the kitchen table. "It'll have to be a rain check, my sweet. Sonic and Sally really need my help and I promised I'd do my best to help them out," he explained.

Her ears fell sadly. "When will you be back?"

"Hopefully before dinner time," he replied optimistically.

"—Don't worry, Aunt Blaze and I will have all sorts of fun with you today," Silver piped in, as he leaned on one of the counter's corners with a cup of coffee in hand.

Shadow bent down and kissed the top of her head. "I apologize for having to cut our morning together short, but I have to go. Stay out of trouble now." Shadow directed his attention to his brother briefly, "And Silver…keep an eye on her," he made explicit. Silver smirked, fathoming the order he was given. Shadow's eyes looked back towards his daughter. "Have fun in my absence," he waved before heading out.

•~•

In the Mystic Ruins, Sonic and Sally arrived back home with Shadow at their side. As the ebony hedgehog walked through the camp, he couldn't help but notice the camp looked in complete disarray. Members of the pack were scattered all over the place, some in groups organizing more scouting missions, while others prepared fresh meals and water stations for those coming back from long treks. The atmosphere around camp was definitely erratic with all sorts of different emotions.

"This way," Sally instructed, leading Shadow over to their lake.

Finally, they arrived at their designated location. Sally stopped before a large boulder on the edge of the water. On the front side of the stone was some sort of tribal looking, painted red, infinite square. "This is what we were telling you about earlier."

Shadow stopped in front of the large stone and stared at the illustration in awe. This was the same drawing he had seen in Faith's bedroom. But just how exactly was she aware or familiar with this design? Sonic tilted his head at Shadow's troubled prolonged stare. "Do you recognize it?"

As those words left Sonic's mouth, Shadow nodded gravely. "Yes, but you're not going to believe where I've seen it…"

Sally crossed her arms over her chest. "Where?"

"Faith drew a picture of something that looked just like this. I saw it in her bedroom," he explained. "Unfortunately, not even I have an idea what the hell this thing is supposed to mean."

Another familiar face appeared from around the other side of the lake and Mighty waved at them. "Hey, there, Shadow. You're helping us out today, too?"

Shadow nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Sonic and Sally gave me the summarized version of events. At any rate, still no progress?"

Mighty shook his head solemnly. "I've tried numerous locator spells but it's as if they've completely disappeared."

Shadow looked over to Sonic. "I'm assuming your pack has already scouted the perimeters of the Mystic Ruins, correct?"

"Yes, we have," he replied.

"Hold on," another voice intervened. The group looked to see Hendrix jog up to the group. "I just discovered a new lead!"

Mighty looked excited by the news. "What is it?"

Hendrix stopped in front of the three. "We did tracing spell of Jay's last known whereabouts. We were able to pinpoint his directions and locations just before he vanished."

"Intriguing," Shadow murmured. "So almost like a GPS navigating system?"

Hendrix nodded. "Exactly." The black cat pulled out a folded up map from his front pocket. "Anyway," he unfolded the map. "His last location was here," he said pointing to a specific red dot.

The three glanced at the spot. "I'm not familiar with this location…" Sonic noted. "Where is that?"

Shadow's eyes scanned the map as he determined the location. "That's on Angel Island," he replied in realization. "It's five miles north of Station Square."

"What in the world would a child be doing that far away from home?" Sally wondered.

"Not a clue," Hendrix shrugged. "But this is our biggest clue so far. It has at least given us a last known location. If we can scout the area we may find more answers."

"In that case, we'll split up into two groups," Shadow deduced. "Mighty and I will explore the west side, while Sonic and Sally will scout the east. Hendrix, you and your team will scout the north, and another team will scout the south. We'll meet back here at camp with our findings."

"Sounds good to me!" Sonic exclaimed.

•~•

At the house, Silver, Blaze, and Faith played outside in the backyard together, while Amy tended to the housekeeping duties. The pink hedgehog stood at the back French doors with her arms crossed as she watched what was happening outside. She couldn't help but smile as she watched both Faith and Blaze chase Silver around in a game of tag. She giggled when both Faith and Blaze successfully tackled Silver to the ground. Amy took another glance at her watch, realizing her procrastination of chore duty was slipping away by distractions.

Bending over, Amy picked up a hamper full of fresh clothes and carried them upstairs. Once on the second floor, she walked into Faith's bedroom to deposit her clean clothes. Sadly, when she entered her daughter's room, it was an absolute mess. She shook her head with a tsk. "Messy girl," Amy mumbled with a chuckle.

Sighing from the sight of toys, papers, and other knick-knacks all over the floor, Amy lowered the hamper onto the floor to pick up after her daughter. She walked around the room, picking up Faith's dolls, toys, and sorting them into the bins she had placed in the corner of the room to keep organized. Once she was finished, she walked over to Faith's bed and noticed the clutter of papers all around her bed. Bending over, Amy began to collect the papers together.

Curious as to what they were, she flipped one of the pages over and stared at the illustration her daughter had drawn. Her expression turned to confusion as she stared at the drawing though, not certain on what exactly it was supposed to be. It was some sort of glowing red infinite square, messily drawn. Amy took a seat on the edge of Faith's bed to gander at more of the drawings. She looked at the next sheet of paper that was once again, a duplicate of the drawing she had looked at before. "What…" Feeling a chill run down her spine, she filed through the rest of the papers in her hands, realizing all the papers were of that same illustration. What exactly was this thing that Faith seemed to be fascinated with?

•~•

Meanwhile, back outside the house, Silver pushed Faith on the swing set; while Blaze pushed herself on the other swing. Faith giggled playfully as her uncle pushed her higher and higher. Silver smiled seeing his niece enjoy her time outside. "Push me more, Uncle Silver, I want to go higher!" she squealed.

He gave another gentle shove. "You're already pretty high up," he noted watching the pendulum-like effect with her swinging.

"But I want to touch the sky," she smiled.

Blaze also grew a little concerned with how high up she was going. "I think that's enough now…"

Faith looked over her shoulder at her uncle. "Wanna see something cool, then?" she asked, continuing to kick her feet, to propel herself.

"Like what?" Silver inquired.

She grinned mischievously. "Watch this!" she laughed before letting go of her hold on the chains and jumping off the swing. Both Silver and Blazes' eyes went wide at the dangerous move.

Blaze lowered her legs, dragging herself to a halt on her own swing as she watched her goddaughter soar in the sky. "Faith!" she screamed.

Silver used his agility and quickly rushed over just in the knick of time as Faith came down and collided into him. Luckily for him, he caught her in his arms falling backward into the sand with a loud thud. Blaze rushed over after seeing Silver's heroic act and quick thinking. "Oh my goodness, are you okay, Faith?"

Faith just clapped as she resided in Silver's arms. "I'm fine, Aunt Blaze!" she smiled; not at all aware of the danger, she had put herself in.

Blaze dropped down to her knees and took Faith's little hands in her own. "Please don't ever scare me like that, you could have gotten seriously hurt if you didn't land properly."

Seeing how serious her Aunt was by her tone, Faith's smile dropped and her ears lowered. "I'm sorry for scaring you…"

Silver sat upright groaning slightly from his hard fall. "You didn't ask about my wellbeing, dearest," he bemoaned.

Blaze looked over at her husband. "Oh, we all know you can walk it off," she laughed.

Silver shook his head playfully and allowed Faith to climb out of his arms. He stood upright, along with Blaze's assistance.

"Look, sweetheart," he started, looking down at his niece. "I like to have fun as much as you do, but you really need to be careful when trying to perform wild acts like that. Your Aunt is right; you could have gotten seriously hurt. You're lucky I was able to catch you, because you may not have realized it, but you were pretty high up in the air for a jump like that at your age," he softly reprimanded.

Faith tucked her arms behind her back and bowed her head down. She shuffled one of her feet in the sand shyly. "I know, Uncle Silver. I'm really sorry, I won't do it again…"

Silver smiled down at her and patted the top of her head. "Good girl, now let's head inside, it's nearly lunchtime." With that said, the three headed back indoors, not realizing someone had been watching them for the past couple of minutes.

A distance away in the wooded area near their home, a white echidna in his mid-40s, wearing black spectacles, stood behind some trees in the forest off the side of their house. He waited until the three walked back indoors before reporting to his superior. Smirking by his findings, he brought his right wrist up to his mouth, revealing some sort of wristwatch device. He held down a button on the side of it. "I've located the girl."

"Good," a female voice replied on the other end. "Grab her and bring her in."

•~•

On Angel Island, Mighty and Shadow continued their search for Jay and other missing children. The two stumbled across an abandoned home on the island that was once owned by a legendary echidna guardian. Because it had been abandoned for so long, there was no electricity, forcing the two to use flashlights to navigate the darkness. It was only a one-story home, but it had quite a few rooms to explore. Alas, everything inside was pretty decrepit and dusty. There were cobwebs all over the ceiling and floors, and a few rats that scurried away when spotted.

The two entered the home and split up to cover more ground. "I'll head to the left and you can take the right," Shadow instructed.

Mighty nodded and began to walk around the different rooms. "Jay, Sam, Russel?" Mighty called as he shined his light in different corners of the room.

As he tried to listen, all that was heard in response was silence. He walked over to one corner of the room where he found an old wicker chair with a small black flashlight laid out on the seat. He allowed his light to linger on the lone item for a moment before he heard subtle whispering coming from the room across from him. Quickly, Mighty followed the sounds and entered the empty living room.

In the dead center of the room, he found a brown leather notebook. Slowly, he bent down shining his light onto the book to get a better look. When he picked it up with his other hand he noticed the leather strap keeping it locked tight. It also appeared to have the same infinite square symbol carved into the front of it.

"Strange…" He tucked the book in the back of his pants for safekeeping until he could study it in private.

Then out of nowhere, a strong vacuum effect occurred around him and winds began to pick up. "What in the..?" Mighty shielded his eyes from flying debris as the winds began to whip more erratically. The door behind him slammed shut, and Mighty spun around to see what was there when suddenly he was forced against the wall by an unseen force. "Gah!" he cried out.

The force held him against the wall for a solid minute before releasing him and allowing him to fall to the floor. Mighty grunted from his hard landing, falling on his chest. Suddenly, the door that had slammed shut slowly crept open. The faint whispers soon picked up again. Standing up, Mighty held his hurt arm. "Show yourself!" he growled.

A red hue began to creep down the hall and peek in through the open door. When he caught sight of what it was he gasped. It was a giant red orb coming into the room. The brightness was so intense that it began to burn his eyes as it got closer and closer. Yet, the closer it got to him, the more Mighty believed this thing did not have good intentions. Mighty covered his eyes with his hands and screamed, as he believed his demise was coming. "No!"

But as he waited for the end, he felt nothing harm him. He stayed frozen, too afraid to uncover his eyes. A firm grip landed on his shoulder causing him to jump. "Mighty, are you alright? I heard you screaming." Shadow asked with concern laced in his voice.

Opening his eyes, Mighty trembled slightly while he tried to re-compose himself. He looked around the room, seeing the orb nowhere in sight. The winds had also suddenly ceased. "Yuh-yes, I'm fine," he stammered. "But I saw something…"

"Saw something," he repeated. "What was it?"

Mighty rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not exactly sure what the hell it was. I heard something. So I followed it and it led me to this room where these loud winds picked up. A bright red orb appeared and it kept coming closer and closer…"

"…Huh," Shadow commented. "I didn't hear anything when I was in the other room, the only thing I heard was your screams and that's when I came running."

Mighty ran a hand over his head, still startled by the strange phenomenon. How had Shadow not heard all those winds from the other room? Shadow stared at the armadillo perturbed. He had never seen him so shaken before. Whatever he had encountered had definitely made an impression on him.

•~•

Twenty minutes later, Shadow, Mighty, Hendrix, Sonic, and Sally reconvened at their starting point on the island to discuss their findings. "We didn't find anything, did you guys?" Sonic started.

"We found a flashlight that has Jay's scent on it, but the trail for the scent dies inside the home," Shadow started as he held up the item. Sonic took a hold of the flashlight and stared down at it in his hands. "We didn't find any trace of a struggle though."

Mighty reached into the back of his pants and pulled out the leather journal. "I found this in one of the rooms," he mentioned, holding it out.

Sonic reached for the book and looked it over it in examination. "Looks old," he observed. "Have you tried opening it yet to see what's inside?"

Mighty shook his head. "Not yet, I was going to do it once I returned home to search for clues. It has a lock on it anyway, so I'll have to decipher it to get it to unlock."

"It looks like almost an old grimoire," Hendrix added. "We should open it now."

"Alrighty." Sonic reached inside his jeans pocket and flipped out a pocketknife. "Nothing a handy-dandy knife won't do to solve that problem!" he grinned arrogantly.

Using one hand to hold the book, Sonic tilted it so it exposed the leather strap with the lock. He took the knife and wedged it under the strap and started to do a cutting motion upward, to slice the leather strap in half. Once he started cutting, an unseen force shoved him violently backward, forcing him to release his hold on the book.

Sonic crashed into one of the nearby trailers, causing a loud crash and dent. Sally, Shadow, Hendrix, and Mighty came running over to see if he was okay. "Sonic!" Sally cried out, the most worried for his wellbeing. "You okay, babe?"

Sonic groaned as Shadow grabbed ahold of his arms and pulled him out of the dent. "Yeesh, what the hell was that?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I felt like a semi-truck just crashed into me."

Mighty looked over his shoulder at the leather notebook, now face down in the dirt. He wandered over and picked it up. "Clearly whatever is inside this book doesn't want you to see any of it…"

"Obviously, it just whooped my ass! Get it outta here, M," Sonic waved off.

Hendrix moved closer to the young armadillo, feeling apprehensive about the contents contained within the book. "You sure you don't want _me_ to take a look at that thing?"

He shook his head. "Nah, if it gives me any trouble, I'll give you a call. However, I think I can handle it," he assured.

"Very well, but just be careful. Okay?"

•~•

Back at the house, Faith sat on the rug and enjoyed eating her lunch. Her mother had made her a grilled cheese sandwich that she was currently munching on. As she chewed a bite she had taken, her eyes focused on the television, feet in front of her. Nearby, Silver was stretched out on the couch passed out along with Blaze sleeping on the other end of the couch. It was only one in the afternoon, but keeping Faith active and entertained took a lot out of them. Faith glanced over to her Aunt and Uncle and giggled as she heard Silver crack a snore.

Amy popped her head into the room for a moment, just to see what Faith was up to. "Everything okay with your food, baby?" she spoke quietly, trying not to wake the others.

Faith turned to look at her mother. "Yep, it's yummy!"

Amy smiled in satisfaction. "Great, if you need me I'll be downstairs in the basement finishing folding laundry."

"Okay, mama!"

Seeing her daughter preoccupied with cartoons, Amy headed downstairs to finish the rest of the household chores. Faith finished the last bite of her sandwich just as a new cartoon came onto the screen.

" _Next up, a new episode of Silly Pals!"_ the TV announcer introduced.

Faith made a revolted face at the new lineup announcement. "Yuck, that's a baby show," she spouted quietly. The young pink hedgehog took the remote sitting next to her and began to channel flip, but after a few minutes of channel surfing, she grew quite bored with her options. Groaning, Faith got up, collected her dirty plate and headed out of the living room to find another activity to do.

She wandered into the kitchen and pushed the stool by the sink directly in front of it. Using it as a stepping stool, Faith climbed up and placed her plate in the sink as she was told to do when finishing her meals, but just as she did, she saw a figure pass the kitchen window in front of the sink.

Gasping from the unexpected sight, Faith hopped off the stool and stared at the now empty window as she tried to determine what she had just seen. It had happened so fast, she wasn't quite sure exactly what she saw, but she knew it was a person. Cautiously walking over to the French doors in the kitchen, Faith stood in front of them and looked out past the back patio, trying to find the stranger. She looked everywhere until she spotted a strange item sat on the swings out back. Faith squinted her eyes until she realized it was a beautiful plush stuffed bear with a large red ribbon wrapped around its neck.

Her face beamed at the toy and she quickly opened the back door. Once the door was open, Faith made sure to quietly close it behind her before she ran over to her outdoor play set to examine the item more closely. "Oh wow, a teddy bear!" Faith walked over to the swing set and reached out taking the stuffed bear into her arms. She brought it towards her chest and cuddled the inanimate toy, enjoying feeling its softness.

"Do you like it then?" an older male voice asked her from behind.

Faith gasped sharply as she spun around only to look up to a white male echidna with black tribal-looking markings. She had almost forgotten that she had seen someone wandering outside. She stared up at the male and studied him for a moment. He was wearing all black and had a large katana strapped to his back. Faith held onto the stuffed animal and took a meek step back. "Who are you?"

Finitevus gave her a menacing toothy grin. He teeth were oddly sharp looking, which gave him a more frightening appearance. "Why my dear child, my name is Finitevus."

"Oh," was her only response at first. "Um, am I supposed to know you or something, mister?"

Finitevus gave out a hearty chuckle. "No, not at all. This is the first time we've met, but I do know your father."

She blinked a few times in surprise. It was a little unnerving to believe her father would befriend someone as baleful-looking at him. "You know my dad?" she repeated with uncertainty. "Are you one of his friends?"

"I don't think, _friend,_ would be the correct term for us…" Finitevus reached behind his back, gripping the handle to unveil his sword. He brandished his katana proudly only making Faith even mousier. "Now," he spoke, lifting his arm up and wielding the sword. "Do not scream and come with me."

However, before she could answer, Finitevus felt a powerful force thwack him from the side. The force was so powerful that it sent him hurtling into the nearby jungle gym. Faith was surprised to see her mother standing protectively in front of her, now wielding her own weapon—a giant hammer. "Mama…" Faith gasped in surprise.

Amy's expression remained hardened and tough as she kept her eyes on the enemy. "You're not taking my precious daughter anywhere, you creep…"

The white echidna, groaned as he pushed himself out of the dent he had formed after colliding into the children's jungle gym. His eyes landed on the adult pink hedgehog. "Ah, so you must be the mother," he stated as he dusted himself off.

Amy tightened her grip on her hammer. "You might as well leave because if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you're going to get," Amy warned.

Finitevus rose to his feet, standing tall and firm. "I see Shadow married a strong girl," he noted while pushing his small spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "I suppose it makes sense, though. Sadly, I'm not leaving until I complete my mission."

"Then you're going to have to get through us too," another female piped in. Finitevus scoffed in annoyance when he spotted both Blaze and Silver now joining Amy. In the meantime, through all this confusion, Faith remained on the ground, terrified about the echidna that appeared to have it out for her.

"I see you have reinforcements, luckily I also did not show up without comrades," he smirked. A brown and black, male lynx appeared beside him.

"You toyed with the target too long," the brown lynx scolded. "You always did love to play with your food..."

"Oh shut up, Lightning!" he barked. "If you thought I was taking too long you should have intervened sooner."

"That is not our protocol," he reminded annoyingly.

Growing frustrated, Finitevus held his sword out en guard. "Just capture the girl!"


	29. Mission Failed

**AN:** Hey guys, sorry I didn't keep up with my updating schedule. Since I've had my summer vacation, I was updating every week, but now that school is getting ready to start, expect delays in updates. I'm going to try to update every 2 weeks if I can, but do not think I am abandoning this story. I will complete it, I promise!

•~•

After their meet up, Sonic, Sally, and Shadow walked back to their parked cars together. "What are we supposed to do with these missing kids now?" Sonic questioned.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do if we have no clues to where they're being held," Shadow replied. "Our best bet it to gamble on the next child they might come for, keep tabs on them 24/7, and try to catch the kidnapper in the act."

"Well, whoever is behind this clearly is one step ahead of us," Sally sighed.

Shadow stopped in his tracks, but the other two didn't notice as they walked on ahead. Shadow looked up in the trees and then to the left and right side of him. Finally noticing his absence, Sally turned to look at the ebony male. She took notice of his concentrated expression and looked at him strangely by his behavior. "Shadow, is something wrong?"

Shadow's red eyes scanned the perimeter. "We're being watched," he replied lowly.

Sonic stopped in his tracks, allowing his vampire nature to heighten his hearing. He sniffed the air, picking up a familiar scent. "It's that guy again…"

"The one that attacked Sally in Twinkle Park?" Shadow deduced.

"Yeah," Sonic replied. "Don't let your guard down, he's no amateur."

Sally backed up cautiously, looking at her surroundings in the forest. Just where exactly was he hiding? Suddenly, Sonic felt two hands grab the sides of his head and violently snap it to the side. The blue hedgehog collapsed on the ground, temporarily dead for the time being. Weirdly enough, there was no one standing behind Sonic to do the deed, which put them on alert. "Sonic!" Sally backed up, standing next to Shadow.

Shadow put an arm out in front of Sally, preventing her from nearing her husband who was down and out. "Don't." His nose sniffed the air and his head suddenly shot over his shoulder behind him.

Two stakes came flying out from behind them, but Shadow swiftly grabbed them as if he had expected them minutes before. He cracked both of them in each hand and chucked them to the side. "Reveal yourself!" he commanded.

Suddenly, Espio transpired before their eyes several yards away. He lowered his crossbow looking at the two.

"You can cloak yourself?" Sally muttered.

He smirked. "I am a chameleon after all."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "You didn't do that the first time we met."

He reattached his crossbow to his back. "Why would I show my cards to you the first time we fought?" he argued. "That would be foolish."

"Why do you keep coming after her?" Shadow demanded.

"I'm afraid that's information I can not give you," he replied. His hands reached behind his back and he whipped out two Glock 19s and aimed them in Sally directions.

"Shit." Seeing the weapons, Shadow shoved Sally to the side and shielded her with his own body. Sally closed her eyes and covered her head and curled up as she heard the shots ring out. Shadow's body coiled in different directions from each shot to his chest and torso.

Espio lowered his weapon after using all his rounds. He was impressed after witnessing the hedgehog still standing from the attack. Shadow dropped down to his knees, bullet holes all over his body. He bled from the wounds but looked up at the assassin, unimpressed by his attempt to take him down. "Is that all you've got?"

Espio blinked in surprise before Shadow suddenly reappeared with quick precision in front of him. Shadow uppercut the reptile, sending him flying into the air. Espio quickly recovered from the hit, grabbing a branch and swinging around it to land on top of it.

Shadow shook a fist in the air. "Bullets won't take me down, you moron!" he shouted from below.

Espio touched at his chin and wiped at some of the blood oozing from his mouth. Shadow's punch had been more powerful than expected. "Fully noted," he comprehended. With that, Espio disappeared under the guise of his cloaking ability.

Growling in frustration, Shadow looked to Sally who seemed to grow more panicked now that they were unable to see where he was coming from. She quickly got up to her feet. "What do we do now?"

He glanced at her standing directly behind him with her back against his. In this position, the two would have most angles covered. "Don't panic, just-"

WHACK.

Shadow felt a powerful kick to the face and flew to the left into the dirt. "Shadow!" Sally exclaimed.

Rubbing at his own jaw, he went to get up but felt a knife plunge into his heart. Choking on blood, Shadow gripped an invisible wrist plunging the knife into his chest. Sally came up behind the cloaked assassin and yanked him from the back of his outfit. "Get the hell off of him!" Using her werewolf strength she spun him around in circles before tossing him off into the distance.

Finally being able to see the knife in his chest, he pried it out and looked at the bloody dagger. "Fantastic," he bemoaned sarcastically. "He can cloak his weapons when he's holding them too…"

Sally extended him a hand and helped lift him to his feet. "What were you trying to say before?"

"We have to use our senses to locate his whereabouts. Since you're a werewolf you have to use your strong sense of smell to detect his location. Because I'm both werewolf and vampire, I'll use my heightened sense of hearing to pick up on any sounds he makes when he's making his way towards us. That's all we've got to fight him in this form."

"That's pretty smart," she commended. Her eyes narrowed back to where she had thrown him. "I'm guessing he's close by again."

Shadow's ears perked and his eyes drifted to his right. He felt some air breeze pass his right cheek. "Yes, like right here!" Suddenly in one swift movement, he had managed to grab an arm over his right shoulder with his left hand and slammed the chameleon over his shoulder and into the ground.

Espio's concealing technique reverted allowing the two of them to see him again. Looking victorious, Shadow bent down and grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. Sally watched as Shadow slammed Espio up against a tree and restrained him. The hybrid's eyes dilated, as he looked Espio in the eye. "Time to give us some answers. Who do you work for?"

Espio cackled under Shadow's restraint, as he looked him in the eye boldly. "You fool, that won't work on me!"

Shadow blinked in surprise. Not once in his entire existence had someone been able to defy his compulsion technique. "How are you able to resist my compulsion?"

"My master used magic on me to combat any type of compelling," he replied.

"That's impossible…What exactly are you?" he questioned through grit teeth. "A vampire, a witch, a werewolf?" he listed.

"I am a vampire," he replied. "But I am also a mercenary for hire."

"Why can't you tell me who you are working for and why they are determined to kill Sally?"

"Like I said, my master does not want me to give you any more information you could use against them."

Just then, nearby, Sonic started to stir. Groaning, he sat upright and looked around. "Damn, he got me again…"

"Sonic, Shadow managed to get him!" Sally retold. "We're trying to get some information."

Sonic wandered over to the three and looked at their assailant under restraint. "How's that coming along then, Shad?"

"Not great…" Shadow eyes glowed yellow and he bared his fangs at Espio. Quickly, he dug them in the side of Espio's neck, chomping down a painful bite. The reptile cried out as he injected him with her toxic werewolf bite. Pulling back from him, his brows furrowed. "I guess I'll just have to drive it out of you then. That werewolf bite is going to make you hallucinate in a couple of hours, you may slip up. Or the unbearable pain from my bite may cause you to give up the information," he alluded.

While Shadow interrogated the other vampire, Sally couldn't help but notice something strange on one of Espio's wrists. She moved in closer to get a better look. "Shadow, look," she pointed.

Shadow's eyes followed her look, staring at Espio's left wrist. Just hidden behind the cusp of his glove was a dark red tattoo that looked oddly familiar. Shadow grabbed his left wrist with his other hand and used his thumb to move up the fabric to get a better look. When the cloth was moved it revealed that same infinite square they had seen at the werewolf camp, and he had personally seen Faith draw in her sketch book.

"This tattoo," Shadow started, "What does it mean?"

"It's my master's calling card," he replied. "That's the only information I'll give you." Espio's hand reached for a button on his belt that he pressed discreetly without Shadow's seeing him. "Now, if you excuse me. I have failed my mission and because I am under interrogation, I have no other option than to terminate this operation."

Sonic seemed wary by that prospect. "I don't like the sounds of that…"

Shadow raised a brow. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

He smirked arrogantly. "Just check under my jacket," he instructed.

Obliging, Sonic moved in and unzipped his jacket revealing a hefty vest with a bunch of wires and explosive devices strapped to his chest. "Crap, he's going to explode!"

"Shit..." Seeing the severity, Shadow released his hold on Espio's throat, grabbed both Sonic and Sally, and zipped them away with incredible speed before the chameleon detonated. Within ten seconds of escaping, a loud explosion sounded off in the area Espio had been left, leaving a wake of destruction.

•~•

At that same time back at Shadow's estate, another fight was in place just outside their back yard. Amy and Finitevus clashed their weapons against one another's, desperately trying to take each other down. Overpowering him, she managed to push his weapon lower to the ground. "Kyahh!" Amy bellowed out like a war cry.

Amy got into a crouching position and dodged behind him and caught him off guard with his recent attack and landed another hit to his side, sending him flying. Finitevus slammed into a nearby tree but recovered quickly. He pushed off from the tree and ran towards her. Amy mimicked his actions and ran at him. Their weapons clashed together as they fought in the distance from where Blaze, Silver, and Faith stood.

In the meantime, Lightning used his incredible speed to race around the other three tauntingly. Blaze watched as the lynx zipped around them with incredible speed, causing dust and dirt to fly up around them, from his tornado like effect. Silver observed their enemy, strategizing the best move to fend off him all while keeping Faith safe. He glanced back at his niece as she used Blaze's long skirt to shield her face from all the dirt and dust being whipped up around them. However, while he was looking away, he felt a sharp sting to the back of his neck. "Ouch!"

Blaze looked over to her husband with concern. "What's wrong?"

Silver reached behind his neck and pulled out a small dart that used to contain some sort of blue liquid. The lynx stopped his racing and laughed manically. "It's almost night-night for your mate," he pointed. "He just took a hit of my knock out serum, guaranteed to keep him out for at least an hour."

Silver knew he wasn't bluffing because he could already feel the effects of the serum coursing through his veins. Everything was starting to get hazy and his body felt incredibly heavy. He dropped to his knees and placed his right hand to the side of his neck. "Damn you…"

Faith looked at her uncle with worry. "Uncle…"

Holding himself up on his knelt knees, Silver kept his bleary eyes locked on their enemy. "Blaze, do whatever you can to keep Faith safe. I know you can do this," he assured adamantly.

"I will," she pledged.

Just then, Silver's eyes closed and he fell face first into the dirt, completely knocked out.

"Hand over the girl, kitty," Lightning gestured. "You shouldn't do what your mate says, cause I'm not going to go easy on you."

Behind said feline, Faith clutched onto Blaze's skirt, terrified of the male after her. Sensing, her nieces' fear, Blaze calculated a plan on defeating him. "Don't bother," she replied. "I'm not letting you lay a finger on her."

"Your mistake, pretty kitty," he snickered. "Guess I'll have to skin yah before I can get to the kid." With that said, he rushed towards her with great speed.

Thinking quickly, Blaze made an "o" shape with her right thumb and index finger and blew through the hole she formed with her hand. Out of nowhere, she created a large bubble that encapsulated Faith inside it, completely shielding her from harm. However, because she was working on a defense for Faith, she received an ugly slug to the face, sending her hurtling backward into the dirt.

Blaze's body skidded across the dirt and grass before coming to a halt. "Aunt Blaze!" Faith cried out, pressing her hands to the bubble.

Lightning ignored his battle with the cat before focusing his sight on Faith trapped within the large bubble. He whipped out a Sai and took a stab at the bubble but was suddenly electrocuted and sent flying back himself. He looked down at his singed hand, still trembling from the effects. "Fuck…"

Blaze in the meantime got up to her feet and wiped away some blood dripping down her split lip. She spat it out onto the grass. "No use," she shouted. "No one can get to her as long as the magic wielder stays standing."

Lightning's eyes twinkled in realization by her words. He rolled over onto his side and got up himself. "Ah, I see."

Forcing Blaze into a defensive position, Lightning used Tai Chi combat to attack the feline. Blaze struggled to keep up with his rapid speed of hand combat attacks. Using her own magic to evade his strikes, she focused magic into both of her hands and swiped at his oncoming hits, blocking his strikes. Lightning grinned in delight watching Blaze try to keep up with his martial art's style of attack. He managed to get a few hits in every now and then. Using the palm of his hand, he struck upwards bashing at her chin, causing her to bite her own tongue.

While Blaze cried out from the painful move, Lighting did a roundhouse kick, kicking her to the side and crippling her. Meanwhile, Faith could no longer stay on the sidelines and watch this pitiful fight. Even she was aware that her aunt was losing this battle and she couldn't bear to watch. Looking down at her wrists, Faith undid the gold bracelets that inhibited her magic from full power. Her parents had opted for her to wear them because at times her magic could overwhelm her. She was always told to keep them on for her own safety, but right now, she knew she'd need to help her aunt out.

Faith clapped her hands together before placing them up against the bubble chamber she was trapped in. "Absorb," she mumbled. Suddenly, the bubble deteriorated and absorbed into her glowing blue hands. Now free, Faith ran towards Lightning who was getting ready to finish off her aunt.

Whipping out both of his Sais, he twirled them skillfully in his hands as he stood over Blaze's body. "Time to end it here, pretty kitty." He finished showing off his twirling skills with his weapons and held them firmly by the handle. Lightning drove both hands down towards Blaze's chest but was stopped when the earth beneath his feet startled to rumble. "What in the…"

He looked down only to notice large cracks begin to form on the Earth's surface. From within the cracks, vines shot out and wrapped around his wrists and legs, restraining him. Blaze scooted back and watched in awe, trying to figure out who was responsible for this act. Lightning struggled in the vine's hold and managed to look over his shoulder at the culprit wielding the magic. "You," he growled.

Faith stood in the distance behind him with both of her hands outstretched in front of her. "I'm not going to let you hurt my aunt!" she screamed. She took both hands, placed her palms up against each other, and laced her fingers over one another, creating a tight form with her hands. "Swallow!" she shouted.

Her control over the Earth followed her lead and Lightning was pulled down into a ditch formed in the ground. "No, wait. No!" he cried out, feeling himself become consumed in the ground. Blaze watched incredibly impressed by her niece's skills, leaving Lightning's head above the surface to breathe.

Once he was completely detained, Faith rushed over to Blaze and embraced her. Blaze wrapped her arms around her niece, happy to see her unharmed.

•~•

At that same time, Finitevus and Amy had somehow managed to move their fight into the wooded area off to the side of their home. Unfortunately, Amy was starting to feel the fight wear down on her. The two were only getting so many hits on one another, so Amy decided evading would help her from tiring as fast. She jumped backward, missing another attack from Finitevus' katana. The blade narrowly missed the tip of her nose as she felt the air graze her.

Panting, she didn't spot the rock behind her and fell backward landing on her back with a thud. Finitevus took that opportunity and struck his sword into her shoulder blade, pinning her down. Amy cried out in agony as she felt it slice through her skin. The white echidna chuckled darkly as he crouched down before her, holding her in place with his weapon. "Nowhere to run now," he gloated.

He used his other hand to rest on her chest, making her blush from his unwanted touch. "Don't touch me!" she screamed, lashing her legs out and trying to take a hit towards his chest.

"Hush now, I'm just about to finish you off." He took his hand he had rested on her chest and lifted it up, ready to drive into her chest cavity to rip out her heart. "I'll make your death a quick one."

Amy glared up at him and watched as his hand came down with speed to end her. Amy managed to grab his hand with her own and struggled to keep him from killing her. "You little wench!" he shouted, feeling her hold to prevent him from his lethal attack.

"I refuse to let you win," she growled through clenched teeth.

"Just die already," he hissed through his own bared teeth. He had to admit; he was impressed with her strength for being such a young vampire compared to himself. She must have had a lot of training from someone to be able to hold him off for this long.

While the two struggled against each other, Amy noticed something oddly familiar branded along Finitevus' upper chest, just peeking out from under his t-shirt. It was a red tattoo of an infinite looking square. The same one she had seen Faith draw. _"That tattoo,"_ she thought to herself

Amy's strength started to wear off and his hand encroached closer and closer towards her chest. Feeling her grip on his wrist weaken, Finitevus used this opportunity to drive his hand backward for another attempted strike.

Just as he was about to try again, a piece of a white picket fence shot through his own chest from behind. Amy gasped from the unexpected attack and stared up at Finitevus with a piece of white wood sticking out from his chest. Blood dripped down onto her stomach and chest as she stared up at him. Suddenly, his skin started to go gray and he collapsed on top of her, deceased for good.

Feeling his weight collapse on her made her shudder. "Ugh!" Amy wiggled underneath Finitevus' body to break free but heard someone approaching. She glanced over Finitevus' shoulder and smiled in relief to see Shadow standing over her.

"Shadow!"

He bent over and grabbed the echidna by the back of the collar and threw his body off of her. Shadow then proceeded to pull the katana out of her shoulder, making her gasp in pain from the move. Slowly, Amy sat upright, placing a hand to her temporarily injured shoulder. Shadow helped lift her to her feet. "Are you alright, love?"

She nodded, wincing slightly from her injuries. She was bruised and sliced up pretty good but knew she'd heal in time. "I'm okay," she smiled weakly. "Did you find Faith? Is she hurt?"

Shadow shook his head solemnly. "Not yet, I just got home and heard all the commotion. You were the first person I came in contact with. Where are the others?"

"Probably back behind the house," Amy guessed. "C'mon!"

•~•

Once getting back to the others, both Shadow and Amy were surprised when they saw everything already wrapped up and finished. They spotted Silver sitting upright on the ground and holding Blaze in his arms, while Faith sat on the other side of her uncle. Meanwhile, in the center of their backyard, was Lightning's head sticking up above the ground.

Shadow and Amy rushed over to reunite with the rest of their family. "Faith!" Amy cried out in relief as she rushed towards her daughter.

Faith smiled seeing her mother in good health for the most part, other than the minor cuts and bruises. "Mama!" She ran over and jumped into her mother's arms, embracing her.

Amy cradled her close; happy to see she was safe and sound. "Baby, you're not hurt are you?"

Faith shook her head. "I'm fine, mama. I promise!"

Shadow placed a hand on the small of Amy's back and looked at her. "I'm going to need you to take her inside," he whispered, insinuating he'd deal with their other _guest_. Amy nodded, understanding why he didn't want Faith to see what he was about to do.

She carried Faith back inside the house following Silver who helped carry Blaze in. Once they were back inside the house, Shadow walked over to the head sticking out of the ground and looked at him venomously. Bending over, Shadow shot his arm into the dirt and gripped their visitor and pulled them out from the dirt.

"Hey!" Lightning growled. "Watch it, mate!"

"Who the hell are you and why did come after my daughter?" he interrogated.

"She's needed by my master," he replied. "That's all I can say."

Shadow furrowed his brows together, growing tired of hearing the same response once again. His eyes focused on a red tattoo peeking out under the collar of his shirt. He grabbed at the fabric with the other hand and moved it away to get a better look. "You have this tattoo, too?"

"Yeah, and so what?" Lightning shrugged.

He kept him lifted above the ground with one hand, keeping the hand he had waded up in the fabric of his shirt. "I met another one of your friends who had a similar tattoo. Tell me who you work for!"

"Sorry, but I can't give out that information. In fact, I've failed my mission…" His left hand reached for his right hand and pulled off his daylight ring, allowing him to walk in the daylight without bursting into flames. However, once he took it off, he immediately combusted into flames.

Shadow released his hold of the lynx seeing the flames consume him. "God damn it!" he screamed in frustration. Lightning screamed in agony as the flames burned at his flesh before leaving him in dust.

•~•

Later, back inside their living room, the family sat together in the hopes of getting more answers. Shadow stood before his daughter sat on one of the sofas. "Faith, what is this?" Shadow asked, holding out one of his daughter's many drawings.

Faith looked at the illustration of hers and shrugged innocently. "I don't know."

Holding back his frustration, he sighed. "I don't understand, sweetheart. You've drawn it over and over again, surely you must have some idea of what it is you're drawing…"

She scratched her head. "I keep seeing it in my dreams so I drew it. Something in my head tells me that it's important," she explained.

He lowered the picture, keeping it by his side. "I see…"

She tucked her arms behind her back and bowed her head, unable to look him in the eyes. His unsatisfied tone made her feel like he was disappointed in her for not having all the answers. "Are you mad at me, daddy?"

He looked down at her with a warm expression. He couldn't blame her since she didn't have all the answers. She was just a child. "Not at all. I'm just trying to figure out what this drawing is. People have been seeing it spray painted around the city, and we're wondering what it means."

"Ooh," she replied. "Well, if I have any more dreams I'll tell you about them!"

Silver moved his head in closer to his wife's left ear. "Is Faith psychic by chance?" he whispered.

She turned to look at him. "She does seem to harbor the gift for predicting events in her art. I mean just look at this drawing," she gestured quietly. "She's having premonitions about it without fully understanding why."

•~•

After taking a nice bath, Amy helped tuck in Faith for the night. The little hedgehog watched as her mother tended to her comfort, making sure she was comfortable before sending her to sleep. At the same time, Shadow wandered over to Faith's bedroom window and made sure it was securely locked before looking out of it. Just from her point of view, it looked like her father was quite paranoid as he looked out of her window in both directions, almost searching for something. Faith looked back over to her mother who had now plopped down on the side of her bed. "…Mama?"

Amy looked in her direction. "Hm?"

"Why won't you and daddy tell me why those bad guys were after me?" she questioned curiously.

Amy shot Shadow a look that he replied to without words by looking back at his wife. Faith picked up on their silence communication tactics. It was evident they were wavering on keeping this information from her. "Please," she spoke, pulling their attention away from one another. "I just want to know what I did to make them mad…"

Shadow caved hearing the desperation and sadness in her voice. In Faith's head, she probably honestly believed she had done something to wrong these men. He couldn't allow her to believe she was at fault for today's events. Shadow flocked over to the other side of her bed and sat down. "You have nothing to feel guilty of, love. These men were not targeting you for anything that _you_ did to them," he swore.

"So then why were they being so mean to mommy, Aunt Blaze, and Uncle Silver?" she continued to probe.

Shadow mulled on the question for a moment, trying to decide the best way of answering her question. "I don't know," he replied carefully. "I can only assume they were doing so, to hurt me."

Faith sat up in bed a little more, growing intrigued. "Why?"

"Well…" he rubbed the back of his neck hesitantly. "You see, I haven't always been a very nice person in my past," he worded gingerly.

"You were mean to that guy with the glasses?"

Amy crossed her arms as she stared at her husband sitting on the other side of the bed. Shadow caught her disapproving look and sighed. "Look, sweetheart, you're too young to understand the circumstances surrounding today's events. Your mother and I will tell you more about my past when you're a bit older," he assured her with a pat on the head.

Faith looked back over to her mother, before looking nervously back down. "Um, I have one more question…"

Amy tilted her head towards her daughter. "What is it, baby?"

Faith grabbed the hem of her covers and pulled them up closer towards her chest. "…Did you kill those bad guys today?"

Once again, Amy glanced over to Shadow who appeared to have a straight expression on, one that would not expose the truth to her question. "No, we didn't," Amy lied. "The police came and took those bad men away."

Faith didn't say it, but she couldn't help but feel her parents were lying to her. She could tell they didn't seem to really want to talk about the issue, so she sunk back down into her pillows. "So, they're not going to come back here?"

"You'll never see them again," Shadow pledged. "Now, I think that's enough questions for tonight." Shadow stood up and Amy copied his actions. Faith watched as Shadow leaned over and kissed her on the forehead lightly. "Sleep tight, little one."

Amy bent over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Nighty, night, don't let the bedbugs bite," she winked with a smile.

Faith watched as her parents walked over to her bedroom door and exited her room. Shadow grabbed ahold of her bedroom door and slowly closed it inward, just before reaching over and turning off her bedroom lights, leaving her in a dimmed darkness. The moon brought some light into the bedroom as a natural night-light. Once she heard her parent's footsteps cease, Faith turned on her side in bed, thinking about what she had seen today. It had been a pretty eventful day and she had seen a lot of crazy things for her age.

•~•

In the hallway, Shadow and Amy walked back to their bedroom together. "You think it's still okay to lie to her?" Amy questioned, feeling doubtful about their deceit.

"She's too young to understand everything that's going on. The less she knows, the better. If we tell her the truth, it'll only frighten her more. She doesn't deserve to live in a world that she has to fear for her life every day," he argued softly.

Amy rubbed her left arm, still undecided on the matter. "It's just…" Amy stopped momentarily in the hall. Shadow stopped his stride and turned to look at her. "She's not dumb, Shadow. In fact, she's quite perceptive for her age. I do feel like she has a right to know about some of these enemies coming after her," she pointed.

"Look, I realize that I was an absolute dickhead back in the day. I'm sorry about that, but we both knew what we were getting into when we had her," he countered. Amy walked towards Shadow and leaned her face into his chest, exhaling a deep sigh. Shadow could feel her frustrations and he shared them too. He wrapped his arms around his wife and sighed. "I know what you are feeling right now, love. It's hard to determine how to navigate these problems with Faith, but this is the best we can do right now."

Amy felt tears well up in her eyes. "Today could have gone horribly wrong if I wasn't there to protect her…"

Shadow lifted her chin to meet his gaze. "But you were there. I only came in at the last minute. You held your own out there today and I am so incredibly proud of you," he praised. "Anyway, it's over now and sorted," he responded, patting her back. "All those years training have done some good, have they not?" he smirked.

Amy laughed lightly and whipped at her eyes. "You're one tough trainer."

"Come now," he said leading her back to their bedroom. "Let's get some shut eye, I think its well-deserved."

•~•

In the other bedroom, Blaze sat on their sofa in her tank top and pajama shorts waiting for Silver to return. Eventually, he entered their bedroom, shirtless, and in his pajama trousers holding an icepack. "How bad does it hurt?" he asked handing her the icepack.

Blaze placed the bag against her face, wincing a bit from the cold and also the pain. "It's not too bad, I'd say maybe a 6/10 for pain, but hey, I'll take pain over death any day," she grinned.

On the other hand, Silver did not seem to find her comment anything to smile over. "I could have lost you today…"

"But you didn't," she corrected. She patted the empty seat beside her. "Silver, you can't dwell on these things."

He trudged over and slowly dropped by her side. "I know, but I just love you so much, Blaze. I guess this just reminded me of your mortality."

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Blaze lowered the ice pack from her face and scooted closer towards him. Silver watched as she rested her hands on his shoulders and allowed them to slowly descend down his chest, caressing his toned torso. Silver felt a shiver run down his spine, as her hands wandered lower and lower. She encroached closer towards him, practically sitting in his lap. Her small chest pressed against his chest and she began to kiss down the side of his neck.

"Blaze," he moaned softly, closing his eyes. "…What are you doing?" he breathed softly, feeling her hands slip past the elastic part of his waistband.

She pulled her face away from the crane of his neck and looked him in the eyes. "Let's forget about today and live in the moment," she whispered. Silver stared back at her, before closing his eyes and closing the gap between them in a kiss.

•~•

Back at his house, Mighty stared at the leather journal he had found back at the abandoned house on Angel Island. As he stared at and studied the front cover, he couldn't help but feel some sort of ominous dread overcome him as he held the book for a prolonged period. He felt a sense of coldness and dread as it stayed in his hands. Whatever this book held inside, it was something dark and malevolent.

Aurora walked into the living room holding two cups of tea and spotted the armadillo looking deep in contemplation. She eyed him curiously as she walked over with their beverages. "Something troubling you?" she inquired, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Mighty glanced over at his girlfriend as she took a seat across from him on the sofa. "It's just this journal," he started. "It's giving me weird vibes."

Aurora set down their teacups and saucers on the coffee table separating them. "Well, I've never seen anything like it before. I did some research like you asked, but there's nothing online."

"That's the thing, I think I have an idea of what we may be dealing with here," Mighty alluded.

Aurora finished taking a sip of her tea and set it back down on its saucer. "And what's that?"

"You remember Rosy Rascal, right?"

"How could anyone forget the child-stealing psychopath that was trying to sacrifice children for more power?"

"Well, whoever is kidnapping these children are doing something similar to what Rosy was doing. She came and brought darkness into her coven, and I thought we had gotten rid of her, but that same darkness I felt around her has returned…"

Aurora didn't seem to agree based on his wavering expression. "It's only been three children so far and Rosy-"

"—They're going to want more!" he snapped with certainty. Aurora blinked in surprise by his snappy tone. "Rosy was sacrificing more children and this thing is heading in the same direction."

"Okay, calm down," Aurora said putting up her hands in defense.

Mighty calmed his mood, suddenly realizing how angry he had just become out of nowhere. His tense demeanor eased. "Geez, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that…I don't know what came over me," he apologized.

Aurora nodded, accepting his apology. "I can't help but notice you keep referring to this new enemy as a _thing,_ instead of a person. What makes you keep using those words to describe it?" she inquired curiously.

He thought back to what he had experienced on Angel Island. "Because I've seen it with my own eyes," he replied simply. "This is no person we're dealing with…"


	30. Bonding Time

**AN: ** Ugh, I'm so sorry for the long delay. I love my new teaching job, but with 114 students, I have shit ton of papers to grade daily. I'm probably going to start updating every 2 weeks, so be prepared for the new updating schedule. Anyway, enough about me. I need to do my daily dose of praise/thanks to those that bother to leave reviews: Thank you, Kimberly Rosivel Lopez, Janttun3n, risingzero1984, aliciathewolf45, and shadrougeforever.

The next morning, Shadow and Amy got dressed and ready for the day. The two stood in their suite bathroom in front of the sink to work on fixing their appearance before starting their day. Shadow finished brushing his teeth before spitting out the foaming suds from his mouth into the sink, while Amy brushed her quills. Shadow used a towel to dab the wetness and residue away from his mouth. "So, what should our game plan be for the day?" he asked, staring at Amy's reflection in the mirror.

Amy lowered her hairbrush and set it on the counter, turning her head to look at him. "You should hang out with Faith," she recommended. "You know, spend some quality time together."

Shadow raised a brow, a bit taken aback by her reply. "You don't think we should determine if there are any other danger factors out there?"

"Look, the danger is gone for now," she reasoned. "Why not spend some time with her? She's been dying to have a father-daughter day with you."

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest as he mulled over the thought. He couldn't remember the last time he had truly spent one-on-one time with her. It had to have been a couple of years. "I understand the thought and sentiment behind your idea, but I just don't know if it's rational to take the time to do that when our next big threat could be just around the corner."

Amy pulled her hair up and put it in a high ponytail, letting her sideburn quills stay out and frame her face while her three bangs stayed hovering over her forehead. "Shadow, I can't help but feel you're intentionally putting off time to spend with your daughter. Is there something you're not telling me?"

For the first time in ages, Shadow looked nervous about the prospect. His eyes moved from side to side, as he stumbled for a response. "Well, what if we don't have much in common?" he conjectured.

Amy sighed and placed a hand on her cocked hip. "Exactly my point!" she exclaimed. "This is why you need to spend time with her and get to know her. You've always been so busy with, _work_ , that you barely even know your own kid."

Shadow's ears lowered slightly, seeing her point was well argued. "Fair enough," he sighed. "What should I do to entertain her?"

"Let her decide on what she wants to do," Amy answered. "Just go with the flow and I'm sure you'll find you have things in common," she smiled.

Shadow leaned against their sink counter, looking a bit conflicted in thought. "Rose, let me ask you this…"

Her ears perked. "Hm?"

His eyes remained on the floor, his demeanor deflated. "Do you think I'm a terrible father?"

Amy shot him an empathic smile. "No, not at all. You do so much to provide for this family. You make sure she's well protected, fed, housed, clothed, loved, but because you are so adamant on making sure she has all the necessities to enjoy her life, you unnecessarily distance yourself from her." Amy walked closer to him and reached out, caressing the side of his face lovingly. Shadow stared back into her jade eyes as he enjoyed her soft touch. "Faith should be able to have cherished memories of time spent with her father as a little girl."

He gave her a modest smile. "You surprise me from time to time, you know that?"

She tilted her head, taken aback by his comment. "What do you mean?"

"When you come out with these wise and thoughts and opinions, I realize I didn't just marry a pretty face," he smirked playfully.

Amy started punching him in the shoulder light-heartedly. "Ugh, you think you're so cute sometimes!" she whined with a laugh.

Shadow laughed at her reaction and caught her wrists, stopping her from her frisky behavior. "Come here, you little minx," he purred, pulling her into a kiss.

Amy tried to fight him off, to keep up their playfulness, but Shadow's kiss made her freeze in place before making her absolutely melt in his embrace.

•~•

Downstairs, Faith sat at the kitchen table enjoying the breakfast her uncle had prepared for her. Silver had cooked up scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. Blaze sat at the table drinking her coffee, while Silver washed off the pan he had been using to cook breakfast. In the meantime, Faith munched away at her breakfast just as she heard her mother and father making their way downstairs together. "Morning," Shadow announced to the three already in the kitchen.

"Morning," Silver and Blaze said in unison.

"Mm, something smells good in here," Amy noted, taking in the scent of crisp bacon and eggs.

"It's really good, Uncle Silver made breakfast," Faith smiled, showing off her Uncle's cooking on her plate.

Amy wandered over behind her chair, patting her daughter on the head. "Aw, that was sweet of him. Did you tell him thank you?"

She nodded. "Yep!"

"If you want any, there's a bit of bacon and eggs left over," Blaze offered, extending out a plate with the remains.

Amy smiled sincerely and waved her hand at it. "Oh, that's all right, I'm just going to have, _the usual_ ," she replied before heading for the refrigerator. In return, Blaze nodded, comprehending her comment.

"Once you finish up your breakfast, you and I are going to enjoy the day together," Shadow smiled, kneeling down to his daughter's level.

Faith's expression practically brightened like the sun just by his words. Her eyes glistened like rubies and her mouth opened in excitement. "Really?!"

Shadow chuckled by her reaction. "Of course." Amy smiled as she eavesdropped on their conversation by the fridge. She took out a glass from the cabinet next to it and poured herself some blood they had in a pitcher in the fridge.

"Yipee!" Faith squealed. Amy stifled a laugh as she drank the blood from her glass. If she could have, Faith would have done a little dance on her chair because she was so excited. "What are we gonna do?"

Shadow stood back upright, quickly glancing over at his wife by the fridge. "That's the best part, it's all up to you, love."

Faith quickly shoveled the last remains of the food off her plate into her mouth, took a quick swig of her orange juice to get the food down, and swallowed it before hopping off her chair. "I'm done!" She reached for Shadow's hand and proceeded to yank him out of the kitchen with her. "Let's go, daddy!"

The other three chuckled together as they watched Shadow, the hybrid, get dragged out of the kitchen by his daughter. "I'm sure he's in for loads of fun today," Silver chortled as he finished drying off a plate by the sink.

•~•

At Mighty's house, the armadillo sat in his study looking through various books in his library, trying to find anything that could help him understand this symbol that was popping up around town. More and more people had begun to report that strange infinite square showing up in the form of graffiti on buildings, along with homes, and even on the streets. Who was taking the time to create these signs and what was the purpose? Mighty sighed in frustration as he placed another useless book back on the shelf."

Aurora popped her head in briefly, just to see what her boyfriend had been up to all night. She yawned tiredly, patting her mouth with her hand. "Honey, you never came to bed last night…"

It had been a long night, and Mighty had yet to go to sleep. He had done everything he could to unlock the journal, but it just wouldn't budge. "I know, but my mind has been pretty fixated on this journal," he gestured. "Sorry if I kept you waiting last night," he apologized sincerely.

She shook her head, forgiving him. "No, it's okay. Just make sure you get some rest," she advised before wandering out.

Feeling hopeless, Mighty plunked down on the leather chair at his desk. As he sat there, feeling exhaustion creep in, his blue eyes locked on the journal staring back at him; practically mocking him. "I just wish I could open you and see what's inside," he mumbled tiredly. He leaned forward in his seat, resting his worn face in his hands. Strangely though, as if on command, Mighty heard a, _click_ , and gazed up from his hunched over position to stare in awe as the journal unlocked and opened up before him.

Inside, the book held notes and drawn magic shapes for intricate spells, forbidden spells, and even magic he could barely comprehend. He studied each page carefully, reading the instructions for spells he had never attempted in his life. There were spells for sacrifice, spells for bringing people back to life, spells for cursing individuals, and spells to bring dark entities into their world. Whoever they were dealing with knew a great deal of foreign magic. He wondered if even Ivy knew of such things. Closing the book after reading a few pages that troubled him, Mighty knew he needed to get rid of this book in case it fell into the wrong hands.

•~•

Back at Shadow's estate, Faith and Shadow stood out on the back porch and sat at a picnic table with watercolors, paintbrushes, and other art supplies. Faith watched as her father started to sketch something meticulously in his sketchbook. "When did you start drawing?" she asked sweetly, watching him work.

"When I was quite young," he replied, finishing a line he had drawn. "I was probably close to your age when I started, in fact."

Faith reached for a paintbrush and dipped it in a glass of water they had on the table. "What do you like to draw?"

"Still life, animals, but people especially," he answered. "I always loved finding the beauty in my subjects and really bringing that to the forefront," he explained.

Faith put her paintbrush down. "Can I look at your sketchbook, daddy?"

Shadow put his pencil down and handed her the sketchbook. "Of course, sweetheart."

Faith accepted it and began to flip through it from the front and admired his work. There were gorgeous sketches of landscapes colored and shaded in beautifully with colored pencils. "Wow, this is really cool!" Shadow smiled warmly as he watched his daughter scan through his drawings. There were a couple sketches of still art Shadow had done clearly to practice on his shading. She flipped to the next few pages, filled with living subjects. There was a black and white illustration of an old man at a bus stop, one of a dog by a lake, and then finally one of someone very familiar.

"Isn't that mama?" Faith inquired, lifting the picture towards his face for him to see.

Shadow internally cringed as he forgot about the slightly graphic illustration he had drawn inside the sketchbook. The drawing was one he had sketched up the morning after one of their more intimate nights spent together. Amy was still nude from the night before and had been lying on her stomach with the bed sheets draped over her. The sheets hadn't covered her body completely and had exposed some of her better assets for display. Her beautiful taut bum was uncovered along with her soft backside. Her quills were frazzled in a cute manner, and Shadow had found her pose to be stunning and beautiful. He decided there and then to get it down on paper for him to remember eternally. He had spent the better part of the early morning sketching it out before Amy woke up.

Shadow quickly snatched the sketchbook away from his daughter and flipped to the next page. "Uh, that's a private drawing," he quickly dismissed. He knew Amy would kill him if she found out Faith had gotten a glance at it.

Oblivious to the whole matter, Faith smiled up at her father sweetly. "I hope I can be an awesome artist like you when I'm older."

"Trust me, you'll easily be an even greater artist than me when you're older. Especially since you have my blood flowing through your veins."

•~•

Out in his backyard, Mighty lit up his outdoor fireplace and loaded it with lots of dry wood and drenched it in lighter fluid. Afterward, he strategically placed the journal in the center of the wood and then proceeded to drench the book in lighter fluid. Once he was done preparing, he walked over and lit a match before flicking it into the fireplace. The fireplace ignited in seconds and bright orange flames licked at the sides of the book before completely consuming it. Mighty watched almost in a hypnotized state as the fire ate away at the cover and pages.

A figure slowly approached him from behind, watching the spectacle unfold before them. "Hey…"

Mighty jumped slightly, not hearing or picking up on the unannounced presence but spun around recognizing the voice. Sonic stood a foot away from his side, with his hands shoved in his front hoodie pocket. "Sonic, geez, you scared me," he grinned, placing a hand to his chest.

Sonic chuckled at his edginess. "Sorry about that, man. I didn't mean to sneak up on yah. I came to your front door, but Aurora told me you were out back," he explained. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"Burning that book we found at the abandoned house yesterday," he gestured.

Sonic's eyes widened. "Why? That thing could hold clues to the whereabouts of the children," he argued.

Mighty put his hands up, stopping the blue hedgehog from trying to reach into the fire and pry it out. "Don't!" he shouted, causing Sonic to stare at him strangely by his abrupt tone. "I already looked inside and there are no clues to her location."

"Wait a second," Sonic paused. "You managed to get it open? How?"

Mighty lowered his extended arms as he thought about the question. He actually hadn't physically or magically done anything to get it to open. It had just seemingly opened for him on command. "Well, that's the thing," he started. "It just kinda opened by asking."

Sonic glanced over at it in the fireplace, noticing it was now practically ashes at this point and sighed. "That's weird, but what was inside it anyway?"

"Dark magic," Mighty replied simply, and took a glance at its ashy remains. He leaned over and picked up a bucket of water and poured it on the flames, destroying the fire. "The type of magic spells written in there was dangerous to mankind and to our own. After reading some of the pages, I knew I couldn't let this thing fall into the wrong hands. That's why I decided to destroy it."

Smoke steamed up from the extinguished fireplace beside him. "I see, well, in that case, it's probably best you made that decision." Sonic crossed his arms over his chest as another thought crossed his mind. "Oh yeah," he said snapping his fingers. "Crap, I almost forgot why I came over here."

"That's right, I'm guessing you came over here to tell me something," Mighty surmised.

"Yeah," he droned sadly. "I ran into Hendrix in town and apparently they're missing two more kids."

Mighty looked alarmed by the news. "What ages?" he probed.

"Six and seven I believe," Sonic recalled. "They just went missing last night. Hendrix and his coven are holding locator spells trying to find them, but I don't think they're having much luck."

"That means we now have five missing kids," Mighty noted. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath. "We're running out of time…" Suddenly, one of Sonic's brows perked in bewilderment as he caught sight of something behind the armadillo. "We need to keep surveillance on our youth more strictly," he proposed as he tapped his chin, deep in thought.

"Uh, Might…"

Mighty glanced over to the blue hedgehog. "What?"

Sonic pointed behind him, looking spooked. "You should look behind you right now…"

Mighty turned around and stared at the journal looking as pristine as ever, undamaged, and unburned lying on top of the ashes and wood. Dumbfounded and petrified, Mighty slowly approached the book and picked it up to see if it was truly there. It was warm to the touch. "I-I don't understand…"

"We can't both be crazy, I know for a fact I saw it burn."

Mighty walked back over to his friend, holding the book in his hands as he kept his eyes fixated on the notebook. He let out a shaky breath, realizing that this thing wasn't going to go down easily. "Sonic, do me a favor..."

"Uh, okay, sure?"

Mighty handed Sonic the journal and he accepted it, looking down at it in his own hands. "I want you to keep this book far away from me and others. If I even try to come for it, I want you to kill me," he made explicit with a stern tone.

Sonic looked back at his friend, suddenly growing very tense. This was no joking matter, Mighty legit wanted him to kill him if he came for this book. "Heh, alright, you're starting to freak me out here a little. I've never seen you scared before. You gonna tell me exactly what we're up against, here?"

"When I opened this book and started to read the pages, it felt like someone wanted me to read them. When I held it, I felt this power of invincibility that I have never felt before in my life. There's some magic in this book that I believe could even take down Shadow and his family," he explained.

"So, it's got some sacrificial magic in it? It's not like we haven't seen or heard of that before," Sonic shrugged, trying to not make much out of it.

"Yes, but this sacrificial magic is not to our ancestors, this is something older than even that," he pointed. "What's frightening is the book never gave it a name to what people sacrificed to."

•~•

After working on some painting and drawings, Shadow and Faith took a stroll through the woods behind their house to talk and enjoy nature together. The two sauntered down the path together and enjoyed the scenery. Tall, lush, green trees and gorgeous crisp oak surrounded them on either side. The sound of birds and other woodland animals filled the air. Shadow held his daughter's hand as they navigated the woods. "What was it like growing up with Uncle Silver and the rest of your family?"

He glanced down at her briefly as they walked. "At times fun, and other times quite frustrating."

Faith looked up at him, continuing to keep up his pace. She was curious to learn more about him. "Where did you live?"

"In a hovel," he replied.

Faith cocked a brow, completely lost on the concept. "What's that?"

"It's basically a cave," he clarified with a chuckle.

"You lived in a cave?" she gawked.

He nodded. "Yes, it could be crowded at times, but it isn't as bad as it sounds. Although, your Uncle Silver snored—loudly I might add," he reminisced.

Faith giggled at his comment and imaged her uncle snoring loudly with his mouth open. "That's funny, but I bet it was cool to always have other kids to play with."

"It was actually…but I still felt alone—different from my siblings," he noted. "That's another reason I got so invested in art," he segued. "I use to make my own paints." The two stopped as they came across a cluster of orange flowers bloomed under a large oak tree. "For example, I use to make paint out of these exact flowers," Shadow gestured. "These orange ones are the most vibrant."

"My favorite color is orange," she smiled before catching something troubling. Her tone suddenly changed to panic, "Oh no!"

"What's wrong?"

Faith lets go of Shadow's hand and knelt down towards the flowers. "Look, there's a butterfly," she pointed. A beautiful blue and black butterfly sat upon a flower with an injured wing. "It's hurt…"

Shadow knelt down by her side to get a better look at it. "Yes, it looks like it has a broken wing. Pity, the poor creature won't be able to survive much longer without its ability to fly."

Faith carefully took off her gold inhibitor bracelets that she was meant to keep on at all times. Gingerly, she handed them over to her father to hold onto for a moment. "Faith, what are you-"

"—Shh, don't tell Mommy," Faith whispered. Shadow watched in awe as Faith extended her hands over the injured insect and mumbled some sort of incantation. Magically, Shadow watched as her hands glowed blue and the injured wing was miraculously healed before his eyes.

Faith smiled sweetly at her handiwork and watched as the beautiful creature gently took off and flew towards the sky.

•~•

"So, what brings us out to this neck of the woods," Sonic questioned, eying their surroundings. The two got out of Mighty's vehicle as they stopped near the base of some mountains.

Mighty took in their surroundings, taking in the breath taking scenic sights. "Call me crazy, but I think I found a lead to where all those missing kids are being held…"

"And what leads are those exactly?"

Mighty closed his car door shut. "Just some sort of twisted intuition," he replied. "I can't really explain it, but my gut told me to come here."

Sonic shaded his eyes from the sun. It was mid afternoon at this point, and the sun was beaming down on them. "You know where we are right now?"

"Not a clue, but I know we're close to finding those kids."

Sonic scoffed, not as convinced. "Pssh, if you say so, pal."

Mighty began to walk off the driven path and through some brush. "Come on, follow me," he instructed.

•~•

"When I get bigger, will Aunt Blaze teach me real spells?" Faith inquired as they neared the end of the trail.

"Of course, but I must note, I think you're doing rather well all by yourself," he praised lightly.

She sighed, looking down at the dirt as they walked. "Yeah, but I can't always control it so well…it scares me sometimes," she admitted.

Shadow stopped walking briefly and knelt down to her level. He took her small hands in his own and looked her in the eyes. "You, love, are my daughter. You're going to be the greatest witch the world has ever seen, and nothing will ever scare you."

Faith shot him a weak smile by his attempt to get her spirits to rise. "Daddy, I know you and mommy try to hide things from me sometimes, but I know what you _really_ are, you know." Shadow furrowed his brows by her comment. He wasn't expecting her to come out with such a thing, but Faith only smiled shyly. "You're the strongest person in the world. You're strong enough to keep all the bad things, and bad people away."

Shadow tilted his head curiously. "What kind of bad things?" he probed, curious to know how much else she knew.

"You know, like bad guys, monsters, people who are mean," she listed.

Shadow chuckled softly. "Nothing is going to harm my little girl," he promised.

"Is that why those mean men came after me yesterday. Were they mean people you were trying to stop a long time ago?"

Shadow struggled to find the right explanation. "…Sort of," he trailed off.

She fiddled with her hands nervously. "How do I know more mean people won't try to hurt me?"

"Nothing will even get close," he avowed. I am your father, protector, and guardian. Family is all that matters to me."

Smiling by his genuine answer, Faith lunged into his arms, giving him a sweet hug. Shadow melted in the sweet moment and wrapped his arms around her, relishing in their father-daughter moment.

While the hug lingered, Shadow couldn't help but feel something strange in their embrace, he pulled away softly to look at his child. "Faith, you're trembling, are you cold?" he asked softly.

She shuddered slightly. "Yeah, I've been a little cold for a while now," she noted.

"Well, let's get you inside then. You can show me more of your drawings from your sketchbook," he winked. Shadow lifted her up into his arms and carried her off back towards their home.

As Shadow walked off with Faith in his arms, she couldn't help but glance over his shoulder at something far off in the distance behind them. A red orb hovered mid-air on the trail they had taken through the woods. Slowly, it began to move down the path towards them, growing brighter and brighter.

Faith stared at it strangely, not sure what she was seeing. She blinked a few times as she tried to analyze it from afar, but within a few seconds, it disappeared.


	31. Something's Brewing

**AN:** Back at it again with another chapter! I gotta give my shoutouts as always, so thank you, Kimberly Rosivel Lopez, Janttun3n, risingzero1984, shadrougeforever, CrimsonDarkTheHedgehog, MissMJS, Aliciathewolf45, and sad Little Demon for the reviews left on my last chapter. It means a lot!

•~•

Once they returned home, Shadow and Faith spotted Amy and Silver towards the side of the house, working on kickboxing. Amy switched between legs to do a series of hits against a punching bag. Panting from their long training session, Amy finished her last series of kicks before bending over and resting her hands on her knees. "Mommy!" a small voice called.

Amy stood back upright and glanced over her shoulder, only to spot a little pink hedgehog rushing towards her. "Hey!" she smiled, "How was your day with your dad?"

"It was really fun," she smiled. "Daddy showed me his drawings and then we went on a wilderness walk and talked a bunch!"

"Sounds like you two had fun then," she noted. Amy patted the top of Faith's head, before picking up on her chilly body temperature. Her eyebrows raised in concern. "Baby, are you cold?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that's why we came back."

"She's been complaining about it for a while now," Shadow added.

Amy rested her hand against Faith's little forehead. "It's pretty hot out right now, but it doesn't feel like your running a fever…"

Silver walked over, tossing a sweaty towel over one of his shoulders. "I'll take her inside and dip her up some of that chicken soup Blaze made a few nights ago."

"Okay, I'll be inside in a sec," Amy replied. Silver reached for Faith's hand and led her inside the house with him, leaving Shadow and Amy outside and alone.

Once they were left in private, Amy walked closer to her husband. "So, did you enjoy yourself today?" she inquired, curious to hear his side of the story.

"Actually, I did," he replied. "We got to really know each other."

"That's good," Amy smiled.

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her up and down. "And what about you, I see you've been training. Anything else?"

"Not much," she responded. "I cleaned around the house a little before Silver and I started working-." She stopped momentarily, noticing Shadow wasn't holding her gaze any longer. Instead, he was practically stripping her down with his eyes, checking out every feature she had on display in her form-fitting gym clothes. "Shadow!" she barked, snapping him out of it.

His eyes shot back to meet hers. "What love?" he asked, almost oblivious.

She huffed, covering her chest with her arms. "Is there something I can help you with?"

He stepped closer coyly with lowered eyelids. "As a matter of fact…"

Amy practically rolled her eyes out of her head, just from where she knew he was taking this. She turned on her heel, heading indoors. "Ugh, you're such a pervert sometimes!"

"Hey, you're already all hot and flustered, why not do some damage outdoors?" he suggested.

•~•

Out in the wilderness with Sonic and Mighty, the two stumbled across a decrepit looking greenhouse. It was starting to get dark now, and their timeframe of rescuing the children was depleting quickly. The two stayed far enough back where they could suss the place out. "So, this is where you think the kids are at?" Sonic said in a hushed voice.

The two stayed knelt in the tall grass as they noticed a figure's silhouette moving throughout the building. "Yes," Mighty confirmed. "I know this is where they are," he replied confidently, in a hushed manner.

"What's the plan then? You even got one?" Sonic asked silently.

The armadillo nodded. "I have an idea in mind. Just listen carefully," he instructed lowly.

•~•

Later that night, Shadow lounged in his bedroom as he flipped through Faith's sketchbook. Amy in the meantime, sat at her vanity, applying creams to her face as her nightly ritual. Sat comfortably on the sofa, Shadow admired his daughter's illustrations, feeling like a proud father with every page turn. "My daughter is an art prodigy," he gloated arrogantly.

Amy smiled at his comment and chuckled by his tone. Shadow was adorable when he talked highly of their child. "She is very talented for her age," she agreed.

"And she's going to be a force to be reckoned with when she's older."

Amy stood from her seat, heading towards their bed. "She'll definitely be interesting once she hits her teen years," Amy conjectured. "That is something I can definitely wait on though," she laughed.

"Indeed," Shadow seconded, suddenly becoming reminded of the teen angst that would undoubtedly come with age.

Amy crawled into bed, snuggling under the covers. "Well, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted."

"No problem, darling." Shadow stood upright and headed out of the room with Faith's sketchbook tucked under his arm. "I'll head into the study so I don't disturb you, but I shall be joining you in an hour or so."

Amy found her comfortable position, lying on her right side. "Okay, night."

Shadow smiled at her, before switching the flip off by their bedroom door and exiting. "Night," he smiled.

•~•

In the greenhouse, a male chimpanzee in his 30s dunked his fingertips into a cup of blood. In his surroundings, four children stood side by side, in a trance-like state. They stood within a pentagram surrounded by different candles. The chimp brought his index and middle finger up to his lips and muttered an incantation. In response, the four children turned to their side in unison, eyes glazed over and looking like walking zombies. The male chimp walked over and dunked his finger into the blood multiple times as he walked down the aisle of children, marking their foreheads with some blood.

"Get away from them!" Sonic shouted, entering the facility. The chimp didn't seem to be fazed or worried much about Sonic's presence. He glanced over to a corner where a pitchfork laid against one of the walls and directed his hand towards it.

"Soo-fu-la!" he shouted, making it go airborne and strike Sonic in the chest before he could react in time. Sonic gasped as he was impaled by the garden tool and pinned to a pillar within the building.

Sonic struggled to pry the pitchfork out, wedged deep within him. The chimp walked over menacingly to finish him off, but before he could reach for him, he felt a hard whack to the back of his head with a hard punch. He collapsed to the ground, grunting from the smack, but rolled over to get a look at his assailant.

"Good job, man!" Sonic praised, still pinned to the wall.

Mighty stood above the chimp, opening and closing his hand he had thrown the punch with. Mighty wasn't used to physical fights, and it throbbed slightly from his strike. "Wait a second, I know you," the monkey smirked darkly.

"You know me," he repeated, startled. Mighty had never seen this guy before, yet he knew him?

"Don't listen to him Might, just finish him off!" Sonic shouted, still working on freeing himself.

The chimp stood upright and raised a hand, and twisted his wrist. The disgusting crack of a broken neck rang out as he temporarily killed Sonic to silence him. "Yes, you're Mighty Armadillo. It told me you would arrive. It wants you here," he smirked sinisterly.

Mighty furrowed his brows towards the male, baffled by his words. "What are you talking about?"

"The thing that resides within this city. Within all of us," he foreshadowed. "It is in you," he said, pointing a finger at his chest.

Feeling his fists tighten at his sides, Mighty sucker punched the chimp in the face, forcing him to fall back on his back. "There's nothing like that inside me!" he screamed defensively. Mighty straddled him and began to repeatedly punch him over and over again in the face. He bared his teeth through his clenched mouth, as he watched his face snap left and right with every hit. Blood splattered out of his mouth as he continued his assault. The chimp began to laugh, only confusing Mighty more. What was so funny?

Mighty gripped him by the collar and tugged his face closer to his own. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you are more important to it then you realize," he laughed. "And now, it must be fed." Out of nowhere, he placed a hand to Mighty's forehead, sending a wavelength attack and caused Mighty to faint. He fell over on his side, passed out for the time being. With that, he dusted off his hands and stood back up, staring at the four children waiting for their demise. He stuck his arms out towards them. "Let it be done!"

In an instant, the four children collapsed to the floor in unison as the sacrifice began to unfold.

The chimp began to walk towards them until he felt a powerful strike from behind. He grunted as he felt something slice through his back and out of his stomach area. Looking down, he noticed the pitchfork he had used to attack Sonic sticking out of his stomach along with his intestine. Blood oozed out of his sides and pooled on the floor below him. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed, dead.

Sonic panted as he stepped over the witch's body and quickly ran to Mighty. He knelt down to his level and patted the side of his face. "Hey, bud, now is not the time to take a nap!" he urged.

Within a couple of moments, Mighty started to come to and wake up. "I'm up, I'm up," he groaned, feeling sluggish even from the few moments he was out cold.

Sonic helped get him to his feet. "You gotta save these kids, man. He started the spell!"

Mighty rushed over to the children with Sonic's assistance and he dropped to his knees. Carefully, he turned over the first missing boy, Jay. Just from touching him, his body was cold to the touch. "Damn it, he's ice cold."

Sonic flipped over Sam, another missing child, realizing they felt the same. "This one, too."

"This spell is draining the life out of these kids." His eyes glanced over to a small table set out behind the children. He noticed personal items like a toothbrush, a baseball card, a necklace, a shoe, and a hairbrush laid out on display. "He used their personal items to bind them to this spell. These are totems…" Mighty ran a nervous hand over his head, feeling the pressure kick in. "I know this magic; I-I can reverse it."

Mighty began to lightly tap his hands together over the children as he muttered an incantation. "Metto-ti-moun, say o," he repeated over and over again. Sonic watched him carefully as he placed his hands on Jay's face, gently touching his face with his fingertips before whisking his hands away.

Right after doing so, Jay woke up and gasped as he came back to. The rest of the children did the same in a matter of seconds. All of them seemed rather groggy and disoriented as they woke. Jay looked over at Sonic, looking confused by his sight. "I'm alive?"

Sonic embraced the frightened boy. "You're alive, kid!"

"Do you mind standing for us, guys?" Sonic ordered softly. All the children obliged and got to their feet, steading their standing. Sonic watched as the children started speaking to one another, trying to figure out how they got to this strange location. Sonic smiled; relieved to see they were all in good health. Meanwhile, Mighty's eyes wandered back over to the table where they totems were laid out. He counted them in his head, realizing there were five totems, yet only four kids in their presence. "Wait a second here, something doesn't add up…"

Sonic kept his arms around the children. "What's up?"

"We've got four kids here, but five totems," he pointed.

Sonic scratched the back of his head. "Okay, so who's the other kid?"

He picked up a hairbrush and slowly turned it around to see if he could find any clues to this fifth child. The hairbrush had an engraved name that read, _Faith_ , on the back. Mighty felt his stomach sink at the sight. "We've got a problem here…"

•~•

Back at Shadow's estate, Shadow continued to glance through his daughter's artwork, until he heard someone enter the study. He looked up and spotted Faith standing in the doorway, in her nightgown, and looking slightly shaken. "…Daddy?"

Shadow closed the book. "What is, love?" he spoke softly, laced with solicitude.

She rubbed her left eye tiredly as she approached him. "Something's wrong…"

Leaving her sketchbook on the table, he got up and walked towards her. "I don't understand, what do you mean," he asked, probing her to elaborate more.

She rubbed her left eye. "Well, I had a dream about a bad man," she began. "He was hurting these kids and I think he hurt me, too…" she explained softly.

"Love, it was just a dream," he assured with a smile. "It's not like you got physically hurt. Remember, nothing can hurt you in your dreams," he reminded.

"I know, but this time it felt real," she whined. Just then, Shadow's smile was quickly changed with consternation, as he witnessed a drop of blood ooze out of one of her nostrils.

Shadow reached out and held her face in his hand, looking her over for any other signs of injuries. Perhaps what she was saying was actually of great concern. "What's hurting you right now?"

She closed her eyes, feeling the world start to spin around her. Her face contorted in pain a bit. "I feel dizzy and my head hurts."

Shadow rested the back of his hand against her forehead, and realized then she felt freezing cold. In fact, most of her body was cold to the touch. "…Christ," he muttered under his breath.

Seeing this was critical, Shadow looked over to his open doorway, knowing he was going to need more help. "Rose, Rose, get in here!" he called.

In a few moments, Amy entered the study and rushed towards them after hearing her husband's panic. "What's wrong?"

Faith wrapped her arms around her small frame as she shivered in place. Tears started to well up in her eyes. "Mommy, I don't feel good," she cried softly.

Amy knelt down to her child's level and stared at her daughter in the eyes, growing anxious about these symptoms. She brought her into her arms, trying to use her body heat to warm her. Amy rubbed her back soothingly, trying to ease her worries. "Don't worry, baby, we're going to make sure you feel better." Her eyes locked with Shadow's over Faith's shoulder. What was wrong with their child?

•~•

Back with Mighty and Sonic, the blue hybrid got off the phone, smiling after their accomplishment. "Well, you did it, man! You're the hero here and you saved all those kids. The paramedics just took them away and are heading straight to the hospital to get checked out. I notified Hendrix and Sally so they can meet them there at the hospital," he explained.

Mighty didn't look as stoked about the prospect of being a hero. His mind was stuck on the words that the strange witch had said to him. Was he truly a key in this strange event? "Those kids could have died…If Faith is really connected to that spell, she's going to die too."

Sonics expression grew serious by the notion. "What do we need to do to prevent that from happening?"

"We've got to notify Shadow and get her here so we can cast a cleansing spell on this soil," he answered. "It's the only way we can save her life."

Sonic pulled out his cell phone. "I'll give them a call now."

•~•

Back at Shadow's house, Amy lounged on the couch downstairs in the living room in front of the fireplace. The couple had informed Silver and Blaze about the complication and the two had joined them in order to determine Faith's sudden illness.

In her lap, Amy held Faith close to her chest with a blanket bundled around them to keep her warm. Faith kept her eyes shut as she snuggled into her mother's chest, growing weaker by the minute. Amy looked solemnly down at her daughter, feeling helpless by her growing unknown illness. Blaze stayed knelt by her side, looking over Faith's vitals trying to dictate her sickness. She felt her arm and then her pulse. Standing by the fireplace, Shadow stood staring at his wife and sick child, growing frustrated by the lack of information regarding his daughter's health.

Gently, Amy stroked the top of her daughter's head. "She's never been sick before—ever."

"Well, from what I've gathered, she's not sick. This is a magical affliction," Blaze surmised. "It feels—well, dark..."

Suddenly, Shadow's cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his back pocket and answered. "Hello?"

"Shadow, it's Mighty," he heard on the other end. "Long story short, but I know what's wrong with your kid," he stated.

Shadow raised a brow over the phone call, surprised to know Mighty already knew about their current predicament. "You know she's sick?"

"Yes, I know what's wrong with her and I can cure it," he replied calmly.

"What do we need to do," he questioned, feeling hopeful by his words.

"I'm going to text you my location and I want you to get here ASAP. Don't stop for gas, bathroom breaks, or anything. Just get here," he made explicit.

Shadow nodded. "Got it."

•~•

On their end, Mighty hung up with his phone call with the hybrid and turned to look at Sonic. "They're on their way now."

Sonic leaned casually against one of the walls with his arms crossed, deep in thought. "…There's one thing that's been bugging me by all this mumbo-jumbo crap. Why did this thing choose Faith? I mean, why choose a kid probably 30 miles away for this spell?"

"Easy," he replied calmly. "Because she's a special witch from a special bloodline. A sacrifice like that is something that's going to be rewarded," he explained.

"Don't let anything happen to her," Sonic pleaded. "She's a good kid."

He gave him a weak smile. "Don't worry, I don't intend to let anything bad happen."

•~•

At that same time, the ambulance taking the children to the nearest hospital made its way down a dark empty road. With its bright red and white lights, blaring and brightening its path, the driver squinted as he spotted something up ahead on the road. Carefully, he put his foot on the break, easing down to a complete halt. The driver put the car in park, left the car running, and took off his seatbelt to further investigate this strange occurrence.

Standing in the center of the road, appeared to be a female echidna. The driver hopped out of the car and approached the girl, but made sure to stay cautiously back. "Miss, is everything alright?" he called out, standing a few feet away.

As he got closer, he came to realize that she didn't appear to look threatening at all. In fact, she was quite cute. The strange female wore a long blue sundress, with long sleeves and white heels, but there was something about her eyes that were off-putting. They didn't hold sincerity like the rest of her appearance.

"What's your name, miss? Do you need help," he continued to probe after not getting an initial response.

"My name is Aurora," she replied slowly. After giving her name, she extended her arm out wielding a pistol with a silencer. She took two shots, hitting the driver in the chest. The mortal driver fell to his knees, bleeding out slowly. He writhed on the floor in agonizing pain as she stared down at him, showing no signs of mercy or empathy. "Why?" he mumbled weakly.

Ignoring his questions and confusion, Aurora walked around his crippled body and didn't bother to look back at him. She sauntered over to the ambulance and climbed aboard the vehicle. In the back of the car, the children, still shaken by recent events, looked at their new driver with questionable looks. "Who are you?" Jay asked, feeling nervous about their new visitor.

Aurora put on the best fake, sweet, smile she could muster and turned around to look at them. "My name is Aurora and I'll be your new driver for the night," she explained before turning back around and putting on her seatbelt. "Now don't you worry your little heads, I'm going to make sure you get home safely," she lied.

With that, she took the car out of the park and drove the car over the injured driver on the road, finishing him, and ventured off to a new destination.


	32. The Sickness

**AN:** Holy crap, guys, I am SOOO sorry for the long delay. I've been busy reading 144 papers from my students for the past 2 weeks. I'm also in the process of moving, so I haven't been able to have enough time to upload. I hope y'all will forgive me! So without further adieu, enjoy the next chapter.

•~•

Waiting for Shadow and his family to arrive, Mighty got off the phone after having a grave conversation with another individual. Walking outside to search for his partner, Mighty found him casually leaning against the building coolly in wait. Hearing him approach, Sonic raised a cocked brow as he waited for his friend to update him on the call. Mighty sighed in frustration as he neared the hedgehog. "Sonic, we got a problem…"

Sonic pushed himself off the wall; already growing worried by his dour tone. "What kind of problem?"

Mighty tucked his phone away in the back pocket of his pants. "Those kids never made it home."

Sonic's mouth went agape, completely blindsided by the information. "What do you mean? I loaded them on the ambulance myself."

"That's just it—the ambulance never made it back. It's missing too!"

"Who told you this?" Sonic questioned.

"Actually, it was Sally and Hendrix. The two met up for the arrival of the ambulance at the hospital, but when it never showed up, they talked to the administration and found out they've lost contact with the driver completely," he explained.

"Damn it," Sonic cursed, feeling his fists tighten in frustration. "Who the hell took those kids?"

•~•

Meanwhile, far off in the depths of the Mystic Ruins, the ambulance that Aurora was driving came to a slow halt. In front of the parked van, a group of male and female witches in black robes stood, holding lit torches as they waited on her arrival. Aurora unstrapped her seatbelt before opening the door and hopping out of the car. Without urgency, she sauntered over towards the group. "The children are sedated and are prepared for the ritual," she stated calmly.

One of the witches, a male crocodile, extended his arm with something clutched inside his hand. "Here," he spoke in a monotone voice. "This is a token of our master's power. You'll need it for what's to come." He blossomed his hand revealing a chain with a red jagged stone. Aurora accepted the gift and took it in her hand. She looked down at the crystal, admiring the feel of its power. "Just one more thing," he said, drawing away from her focus on the token.

"Yes?"

"Your boyfriend, Mighty Armadillo-"

"—I won't let anything stop us," she made explicitly clear, showing no signs of emotion.

•~•

Back at the greenhouse, Mighty and Sonic heard the sound of car doors slamming outside their location. Knowing it was Shadow and his family, the two males waited as they heard the family making their way towards the building. "Where's Mighty!" Amy called out frantically.

"Right here," he called back, trying to ease her panic. Just as those words left his mouth, Amy came in the doorway carrying Faith bundled up in a blanket in her arms.

Her face showed panic. "Where do I put her?" Amy asked.

Mighty gestured towards a drawn spell circle he had drawn out on the floor. "Just here," he instructed. Soon after, Silver, Blaze, and Shadow were close behind as they entered the small greenhouse.

In the meantime, Amy said no other words and knelt down, laying her daughter out flat within the circle's circumference. "Mommy, what's going to happen to me?" Faith asked weakly.

"Mighty is going to make you feel better," Amy assured, stroking the top of her head.

Once Shadow entered the greenhouse, he looked over at Sonic curiously, wondering why he was present in this circumstance. "Why are you here?" he asked lowly.

Sonic walked over towards them, to keep their conversation hush. "Long story short, but I was helping M locate more missing kids," he answered quietly.

"More?" Shadow repeated. "Were you successful in finding them?"

"We did," Sonic nodded. "However, there was a bit of a hiccup in our rescue mission."

"Hiccup…I don't like the sound of that," Silver chimed in.

"Yeah, we had all the missing children loaded on an ambulance and headed towards the hospital, but it turns out the ambulance never arrived."

At that same time, Mighty knelt down before the circle that Faith resided in, making sure she was comfortable and situated. "Ahem," he coughed, clearing his throat and catching everyone else's attention. "Not to be rude, but I'm going to need complete silence while I work," Mighty interrupted. "If my unlinking spell is to work, then I'm going to have to be able to concentrate."

"Our apologies," Shadow pardoned, putting up his hands apologetically. "Please, do what you must."

Mighty turned his focus back on the young girl before him and shot her a smile. "Nice to see you again, Faith. I heard you weren't feeling so good."

"Mhm," Faith nodded weakly back at the armadillo. She was used to seeing him as a teacher—someone that helped her craft and hone her magic skills, but today she was seeing him as a doctor-like figure.

"Well, that won't be the case for much longer," he assured. "Just do me a favor, stay perfectly still. This won't hurt a bit, but you will feel like a ton of weight has been lifted," he explained.

Faith closed her eyes, as she comprehended the information. "Okay…"

"Good girl," he praised. With her following his instructions, he began his spell.

Gently, Mighty took his hands and lightly patted them together in a clapping motion as he muttered an incantation spell, moving his clapping hands over her. "Muv-a-la, muv-a-la," he repeated over and over softly, practically in a whisper. Amy watched off to the side, partially biting her nails as she waited. Shadow, Blaze, Silver, and Sonic also stood off to the other side, observing the spell take place.

Slowly, Mighty began to build up the strength to sever the link between this spell and Faith, he moved his hands in closer towards her face and touched the sides of her cheeks with each hand before flinging them away from her face in a swatting motion. The moment he did that, just like he said, Faith felt an invisible weight lift off her shoulders.

She opened her eyes. "Mama?"

Mighty stood upright and dusted his hands off proudly. "That's it, she's purified."

Amy rushed over, dropped down on her knees, and brought Faith into her arms. "Thank goodness," she breathed. "Thank you so much, Mighty," she smiled.

Mighty smiled back. "No problem."

Shadow walked over to the warlock and shook his hand. "Thank you for helping my little girl," he said in relief.

"Again, it was nothing," he grinned. "Please, go see your daughter." Hearing the notion, Faith moved out of her mother's arms and began to walk towards Shadow.

Shadow went to approach Faith before something fell through the hole in the ceiling above them landing smack in front of him causing him to stop in his tracks. Faith halted too by the strange occurrence. Startled by the unknown object, Shadow looked down, noticing that it was a dead black crow. Just before he could get any closer of an examination, more black blurs began to drop down inside the hole in the ceiling. Once again, more dead black crows dropped down and encircled Faith, making her gasp by the strange phenomenon.

"What in the hell?" Sonic mumbled.

Silver tried to move forward to intervene, but Blaze put an arm out in front of him, preventing him from interacting. "Wait, not yet."

Amy quickly rushed over and grabbed Faith, holding her close as they tried to dodge the dead birds, but found with every chance to run, another bird would drop in their path. Before they knew it, the event had stopped, leaving a circle of dozens of dead birds around them. "What's going on?" Amy asked, looking petrified by the bizarre occurrence.

Mighty stared in awe at the sight—never seeing something like this happen before. "I-I don't know…Blaze?"

Blaze also seemed freaked out by the strange type of omen. I've never seen such a thing…"

While everyone else seemed freaked out by the dead birds, Faith looked around her surroundings, as her ears twitched, picking up a sound. "Mom?" Faith spoke.

Amy looked down at her daughter, still, a bit disturbed by the birds. "What is it?"

Faith pulled away from her mother's close embrace, trying to focus on the sound. "Can you hear that?" she questioned, blinking as she looked around them strangely.

Amy stared at her, baffled. "Hear what?"

"Whispers," she clarified. "I can hear people whispering something. Can you hear it, daddy?"

Shadow shook his head as he tried to listen briefly. "I don't hear anything,"

"Me either," Amy seconded.

Faith closed her eyes, concentrating on the voices. "They're saying something." She paused for a moment before finally gaining clarity on their message. "Infinite is coming…"

Mighty's heart sunk by the words and the color practically drained from his face. Shadow picked up on his disturbed expression. "What is that? What is she talking about?"

Mighty swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "She's talking about the being that wrote all those forbidden and dangerous spells from that book. Its name is Infinite…"

•~•

The next morning, Shadow poured two glasses of blood in some wine glasses. His night had been quite turbulent and he wondered what he should expect next. Mighty had told everyone to return home and to get some rest before they would go out again to get answers. Whatever this Infinite thing was, he knew it'd be some sort of force to be reckoned with. However, Amy entered the kitchen, cutting off his thoughts. "How is she?" he inquired handing her one of the glasses.

Amy accepted the glass. "The fever's back but she's not in any pain. However, she is asking to see you," she replied before taking a sip.

Shadow downed his glass in seconds. "Give her an excuse, I can't let my daughter know I've gone off to murder witches to get answers," he growled before exiting the kitchen and putting his cup down on one of the counters.

Overhearing his brutal comment, Silver stepped in his path. "Shadow, we cannot be reckless!" he reprimanded, standing in the living room.

"Easy for you to say," he spat.

"Think of all the progress we've made with the witches, wolves, and other vampires? Killing off witches that don't give us straight answers will set us back again," he pointed.

"And how should I respond? Should I delegate my child's safety to someone else?" he spat.

"I'll handle it," Silver reasoned. "We both know I'm more diplomatic than you."

"You know, it is not wise for you to be so smug at a time like this," he foreshadowed gravely.

"Stop, both of you," Amy intervened, getting between the two brothers. She pushed them back gently, looking in-between them. "Silver will try to find out what kind of information we can get on whatever this, _thing_ , is. I'll go out too and tag along with Sonic to try to locate the missing kids, but in the meantime, Shadow, you and Blaze stay here-"

"—And do what?" he practically barked, insulted by the notion.

Amy looked taken aback by his reaction and crossed her arms over her chest, shooting him a piqued expression. "Protecting our daughter." Shadow softened by her demands and Amy picked up on his remorse. She sighed, lowering her tense stance. "Look, Shadow, I know you're scared and worried about what this new enemy wants with Faith, but the best role you can play in this is keeping her safe. I know you'll do anything to make sure she is not harmed, which is why I gave you this job," she reasoned.

Realizing he had jumped to conclusions too soon, Shadow's posterior sank. "You're right, you know," he agreed. "My apologies for my brash behavior. As you said, I _reluctantly_ agree with you, that I am indeed afraid."

"And that's perfectly normal," she replied. "It's okay to be afraid sometimes, it does not make you weak."

"Exactly," Silver agreed. "Which is why we're going to get answers and figure things out, just you watch," Silver pledged.

Shadow nodded. "Fair enough. Now, the two of you better watch your backs and be on high alert. I don't need any of you to go missing. Stay safe," he advised.

Amy walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll stay in contact with you via texts. Just keep me updated on Faith's health," she stated.

"Of course." With that, Silver and Amy left the house, leaving Shadow alone with Faith.

•~•

Once Amy and Silver had left, Shadow walked upstairs and wandered into Faith's bedroom to check on her status. The little pink hedgehog was snuggled under her duvet and laid awake on her side. When she spotted her father come in, she sat up slightly to look at him. Shadow smiled at her softly. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

"I'm still really cold," she replied sinking back into her bed sheets. She watched as her father walked around the side of her bed and glanced out the window briefly. "Um…dad, are there anymore birds?"

He turned away from the window to look at her. "No, they're all gone, sweetheart," he assured. Shadow tucked her in and smiled. "And when you're better, which will be soon, you and I are going to share a great big plate of chocolate chip cookies."

Faith giggled at the idea. "That sounds great," she smiled weakly. "But when do you think I'll get better?"

He patted the top of her head. "Soon, love, soon."

•~•

At the abandoned church in the city, Mighty held a conference with some of the neighborhood witches. Standing by his side, Hendrix looked out towards the crowd as he gave his briefing. "I happen to know what we're up against," Mighty explained. "There's a faction of our own people, that have started to make human sacrifices to a spirit called Infinite. Now, this thing is dark, it's angry, and is very powerful-"

"—It's a force my family and I are here to erase," Silver chimed in.

The guests in the church, turned around in their seats to get a view at who had spoken. Most looked surprised when they spotted Silver standing in the entryway to the church. "Now, I don't mean to be rude, but you'll need to kindly excuse us. I need to have a word with Mighty."

Hendrix glanced over to the armadillo. "You are okay with this?"

Mighty nodded. "Yes, I'll be fine. Fill in the others in my absence."

"Very well," Hendrix nodded before walking off. The rest of the witches stood up and followed the cat's lead, leaving the church quickly and quietly.

Silver watched the group leave before putting his focus back on Mighty. He walked down the aisle with a quick stride. "Now that you've dispensed the needless hysteria-"

"—They have the right to know, Silver. I've got a lot on my plate too."

Silver crossed his arms over his chest, looking a little peeved. "I was hoping we could keep this matter contained just between my family and yourself…"

"I figured someone might know something and speak up. That or they should just know so they can keep their ears and eyes open for any new leads," he argued. "Anyway, why does it sound like you're here to lend a hand?"

"You know I have a history of removing anything undesirable from this city," he hinted.

Mighty glanced away for a second. "Yeah…but your family's methods aren't always ones I agree with. Especially when the threat is coming after your family and loved ones," he pointed out. "I was planning on doing this on my own…"

"Children's lives are at risk," Silver reminded. "You might not realize it, but you need someone to help you, and I will do whatever it takes to rescue and protect my niece," he spoke seriously.

"Fine, Silver. I give up," he said raising his hands in surrender. "But if I'm going to let you stick around, we're going to do this my way. Understand?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Your way, it is."

•~•

Later on, in the city center, Hendrix stood on a wooden picnic table as he looked out a crowd of witches, werewolves, and vampires mixed together. In the background of the crowd, Amy and Sonic lingered back, watching the group gathered around the male witch. "Listen carefully," Hendrix called out. "Someone is taking children," he spoke sternly to the hushed crowd. "We all had one none negotiable rule. We do not mess with kids!" Hendrix pointed to a brick wall behind the crowd. "Now you've seen that graffiti." The crowd turned to look at the infamous red infinite square plastered in spray paint along the wall. "So clearly, someone has got to know who is responsible for this?"

"We don't owe you anything," a female pig witch shouted from the crowd. "You used to be a strong and fearless leader, but now you've become a coward as you bow before those, _originals_ ," she leered.

"You still don't trust them?" another female voice piped in from behind her. The female pig turned and looked over to Amy leaned up against the wall. "Fine," she shrugged. "But one of those kids happens to be my daughter. She's seven," she continued as she approached her. "She loves to paint, makeup stories, and goof around, but right now, all I know is that she's sick. At this moment I don't care about the distrust you have in Hendrix and the ones you seem to hate. I'm just a Mom asking you to help me get answers."

The female pig looked at Amy for a moment, as they eye contact lingered. Just from their gaze, she knew that Amy was determined to do whatever it took to get answers. In defeat, she sighed. "There's this girl named Nicole, I saw her draw the same symbol on my shop's window in blood," the female pig caved.

Sonic's ears perked at the name. _Nicole_ , he repeated the name in his mind. He knew a girl named Nicole in his pack, but surely this had to be some sort of witch with that name?

Gaining new information, Amy knew she needed to start her investigation. "Okay, where do I find this witch?"

"She's a brown lynx with black markings and green eyes," the female sow explained. Sonic's mouth dropped from the description and his heart sank. This was no witch they would be dealing with.

Amy held the mental description down in her brain. "Right, so is she from your coven?" she pressed.

"—She's not a witch," Sonic corrected, causing both the swine and Amy to turn to look at him.

Amy raised a brow. "How do you know?"

His head dropped. "I know because she's a werewolf, one from my pack to be exact…"

•~•

Back at Mighty's house, Mighty and Silver stopped by to gather some supplies to hunt down the witches responsible for taking the missing children and learning more about Infinite. Silver casually walked around Mighty's house, glancing at the photos on the wall and other personal items around his living room. "Where's Aurora at? I haven't seen her for some time."

"She's out teaching a class," Mighty replied as he rummaged through a chest full of items. "She's been very busy with her work schedule. I rarely see her nowadays," he noted.

Silver stared at a selfie of them framed on the wall. The two looked happy in the pictured posed on the docks. "I see…"

"Ah-ha found it!" Mighty spoke happily.

"Found what?" Silver questioned, craning his neck to take a glance at the coveted item he searched for.

"Cremated ashes," he answered.

"And who might this be?" Silver probed.

"The ashes of a witch that lost his way," he replied simply. Mighty took a scoop of it and sprinkled it into a small bowl. "It might just be the key to helping us find ours."

"How exactly?"

"This thing—Infinite…its magic has a very unique signature. I felt it on this witch the other day when Sonic and I took him out," he elaborated. "I figured if I can trace that energy back to its source-"

"—You can find the rest of these fanatics," Silver spoke, finishing his train of thought.

Mighty nodded. "That's right." He reached for an herb grinder and began to mash the ashes together in the bowl along with some other herbs.

Silver watched as Mighty went to work. "So, this thing, which haunts my niece…has it spoken to you?" he inquired cautiously.

"It's more like a broadcast, but I was able to shut it out. A lot of people have a harder time doing that," he clarified.

"It won't break me," Silver said with confidence.

"Yeah, but here's the thing, Silver. Let's say we do run paths with this thing today, it's going to take everything that you want to keep buried and use that against you. It'll make you do exactly what it wants you to do," he pointed. "Which is why I didn't want you joining me today. You are a liability to the very thing that we're both trying to protect…"

"Why do you think I am such a liability?" he questioned, slightly insulted.

"If I recall, Blaze confided in me about the mental torture your mother put you through," he reminded. "She told me that she used mental manipulation to harvest memories of your past self to inflict pain and regret on your psyche."

Silver turned his back on Mighty as he hit a soft note for him. He was right; he had been weak at that time. His mother had successfully unlocked memories he had wanted hidden and erased from him so he could live a simpler life. Continuing to grind the concoction, Mighty sensed he had gotten his point across. "You…okay?"

Tossing his thoughts aside, Silver turned back around trying to show confidence. "Yes, I'm fine. Let's get to work."

•~•

Back at the house, things weren't getting better with Faith's health. Sitting by her bedside, Shadow remained there to comfort her. Faith turned over on her side and felt groggy. "Hey dad, I know Mighty came to make me feel better, but I feel worse…"

Shadow reached out and stroked the top of her head. "I know, I know, sweetheart. But don't you worry because as we speak, your mother and Uncle Silver are working with Mighty to fix you up. So you just stay calm and they'll make everything all right," he assured.

She rubbed at one of her eyes. "Do you know what this Infinite thingy is?" she questioned.

Shadow shook his head, wishing he could know more about what he would be up against. "No love, I don't."

"Well, I know. It wants those other kids." Her ears fell sadly. "I can feel them." She said, swallowing a lump in her throat. "And I think it wants me, too…"

Seeing her frightened appearance, Shadow leaned in closer, growing serious. "Look at me," he commanded softly. Faith's red eyes met his own. "I am not going to let anything take you, I can promise you that." He reached out and laid his hand on top of hers. "I'm going to keep you safe, always and forever."

Faith smiled back at her father, believing his vow to keep her safe.

•~•

At Mighty's house, Mighty finally finished completing all the steps to his tracing spell. He lit a bit of sage using some of the ashes he had ground and allowed the smoke to linger up from the tip. He wafted the smoke, inhaling its scents. As he closed his eyes, he caught visions of the witches he was looking for. He saw a flash of a male crocodile handing someone a necklace with a red stone. Quickly after that, he saw a flash of images of some of these cloaked black figures carrying out the children from the ambulance, and finally, he saw an image of his girlfriend Aurora accepting the necklace from the male crocodile.

Mighty opened his eyes and gasped a sharp breath. Silver, stunned by his reaction, placed a hand on his shoulder to ease his panic. "Mighty, are you alright?"

Mighty shook his head, feeling appalled from the last image. "N-no."

Silver put both of his hands on his shoulders to steady him as he wobbled. "What did you see?"

"I-I saw Aurora," he replied stunned. "She's responsible for some of this…"

•~•

Back at the house, Shadow answered a phone call he received from Amy. "How is she doing?" she asked over the phone.

Shadow stood just out in the hallway from Faith's bedroom to keep his conversation quiet. He leaned up against the wall next to her bedroom door as he held the phone to his ear. "She's sleeping right now but Blaze is currently whipping up one of her medicinal concoctions to perk her up," he answered. He took a quick glance back at her sleeping form in the bedroom. "Please tell me you have answers."

"Not yet, but Sonic and I are heading back to his camp for answers. We have a lead there because apparently there's a wolf that got caught up with this Infinite."

Shadow seemed startled by the revelation. "A werewolf involved in witch business?"

"Crazy, I know, but we're going to ask her a few questions. Sally already found the girl for us and has her waiting for our arrival."

"Tell Sonic to show this wretched traitor the error of her ways," Shadow spoke venomously on his end.

Amy sighed at her end. "Shadow, we'll handle it our way." With that, she hung up on him.

•~•

At the werewolf camp, Amy tucked her cell phone in her back jeans pocket and turned to look at Sonic who had been eavesdropping in on their phone call. Sally approached them from the cabin located near the lake. "Sal, how'd it go?" Sonic questioned.

"She didn't put up much of a fight. I said that she needed to talk to you two and she came willingly. All she wanted was to be able to stand here on the docks," she explained.

"…Interesting," Amy mumbled.

The three stopped near the end of the dock, spotting the brown lynx standing at the edge and looking out towards the lake. "Look, she's probably not going to want to talk to a vampire, and she is a part of your pack after all. How about you do the talking?" Amy advised.

Sonic nodded. "Of course, I got this. You two just stay back here and I'll deal with her," he replied softly. With that, Amy and Sally watched as Sonic walked down the dock to approach their lead.

The brown lynx made no bones about the interrogation that was about to take place. She remained calm as she stared off with a blank expression at the glistening lake water before her. Sonic, on the other hand, cautiously made his way towards her, and stopped just a few feet behind her. "Hey, Nicole…Mind if I have a few words with you?"

Nicole didn't bother to turn around to face him at first. "I know why you're here… It's because of the children, right?" she asked, finally turning around to face him.

"Yeah, that's right," he nodded. "How'd you know, though?"

Nicole closed her eyes and tears began to well up before they finally dripped down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I really am…" Her eyes opened, and the remorse she had just displayed quickly vanished. "But they're as good as dead."


	33. Don't Look at the Lights

•~•

At the house, Blaze and Shadow tended to Faith in her bedroom. Blaze sat on the side of her bed, and fed Faith some sort of green concoction. Faith made an expression of disgust at the taste and struggled to get most of it down. She coughed a few times, and moved her face to the side, refusing to drink the rest. "Come on, honey, just a little bit more."

"No," Faith whined. "It's yucky."

"I know its taste is a bit unpleasant but this should help with the fever," she swore.

"Come on, love," Shadow encouraged. "Just quickly down the rest and it'll be all over."

Begrudgingly, Faith in defeat sat up and downed the rest of the medicine. She coughed once she had finished it; rejoiced to be done with the vile flavor. Shadow stroked her back. "That's it, love."

"Good girl," Blaze admired. "I'm just going to take this stuff downstairs. Be back in a few minutes. Shadow watched as Blaze picked up the tray with the empty glass and spoon to mix the herbal remedy before she exited the room.

Faith turned to look at her father. "Hey dad…"

"What is it, darling?"

"Whatever you do, don't look at the red lights."

Shadow raised a brow, completely stupefied by her warning words. "What are you talking about, sweetheart?"

"I had a dream when I was sleeping and saw that the red lights are bad. If you ever see Infinite, don't look at the red lights. Promise me, you won't?" she begged, holding out her pinky finger.

Shadow looked at her extended pinky finger and shot her a small smile. He wrapped his own left pinky finger with hers, avowing not to look at the lights. "I promise."

•~•

In another part of town, Aurora got a text message to meet Mighty at the local park. The female echidna walked into the empty park, looking around for her boyfriend. He had texted their exact location, but she didn't seem to find him waiting for her. Strangely enough, there didn't seem to be any people in sight, which was strange, because this public park usually was packed with families at this time. Finally hearing some grass crinkle, she spun around only to see him saunter towards her calmly.

She relaxed her tense stance and stared at him skeptically. "Why did you want to meet here? You told me this was an emergency, but I don't see anything crucial."

"That's just it, I'm a little skittish right now. I've got this evil mojo breathing down my back," he motioned. "It came for some kids and now I think it's trying to take out my girlfriend," he said flatly, glaring in her direction.

Aurora took a step back, keeping her eyes fixated on him. He was onto her. "Was this your plan, Mighty? Invite me here and confront me?" Her left hand reached behind her left hip and slithered its way into her purse, reaching for something.

He took another step towards her. "Look, whatever this _thing_ has promised you, it's not gonna deliver," he pleaded.

"—You're wrong!" she shouted, finally gripping the item she had been looking for. "Infinite rewards those who are loyal to him. Maybe if you did what it asked you to do, things might be different."

He tilted is head, bewildered by her logic. "Is that what it told you?"

Finally, she whipped out a handgun and pointed it in his direction. Mighty instinctively raised his hands. "That's what it showed me, Mighty!" she shouted. "I'm pathetic, okay?! The only way to become strong is to do one evil thing myself."

"This is not what you are!" he tried to reason. "Babe, you can walk away from this right now. I can help you walk away from this evil. You are not as weak as you think!"

She held her aim steady with her gun. "Again, you're wrong. I've always been weak..."

He shook his head, taking another step closer. "What are you talking about?"

"Not another step," she barked, making him halt again. "I am weak because what you don't know is, I was the one who agreed to Ivy's body possession," she confessed. "She promised me insurmountable power if I helped her find another body for Mephiles to claim, but I didn't realize my own body would be used as her vessel."

Mighty looked surprised by the reveal. "Why didn't you ever tell me the truth?"

"Because I knew you'd be disappointed in me," she said, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "You've always been looked up to as the most powerful witch in our coven. I've always been considered a coward and failure. I can't even perform magic anymore…what kind of witch am I?"

Mighty watched as some tears escaped from her eyes, cascading down her cheeks. Her arms wielding the gun in his direction began to shake, as emotions overcame her. "Babe, please… You might think you're not worth anything, but you're worth a whole lot to me. I think you're incredible and I know I can help you," he smiled genuinely.

Her brows furrowed as she blinked away the tears. "No," she croaked. "You can't help me, because you can't even help yourself. Don't you see you're in the middle of everything that's to come? Which is why I came here in the first place. They sent me here for you!" She pulled the trigger releasing one shot.

In quick reaction, Mighty lifted his arms and closed his eyes, trying to shield the shot, but felt nothing strike him. He opened his eyes when he realized he was not injured, but didn't understand how at first. He was right in the shooting range of her gun, there was no way he could miss. Until he spotted Silver standing in front of him, blocking the bullet's target.

Instead, Silver had been shot in the chest, but the bullet did not faze him in the least. Freaking out by his arrival, Aurora continued to shoot six more rounds at Silver, but with each shot, he only continued to walk towards her.

Silver reached out and grabbed her by the throat, thrusting her up against a tree and holding her midair. Aurora dropped her weapon and gasped as she held onto the strong hand gripping and depriving her of oxygen. "That's quite the monster you've got lurking in there," he noted, locking his amber eyes with her terrified ones. "Would you like to see mine?" he challenged darkly.

•~•

Back at Mighty's place, Silver and Mighty took Aurora back with them and tied her up to a chair to get answers. Silver stood behind Aurora with one hand held against the back of her head. Silver kept his eyes closed and focused, trying to infiltrate her mind for answers with his vampire manipulation. Aurora winced as he tried to use his mind tricks, but after a third attempt, Silver quickly realized that whatever force they were up against, wasn't allowing him to infiltrate her mind.

Mighty picked up his failure yet again. "Someone must have cast a spell to block her mind against your vampire tricks," he deduced. "I can break it but it's going take a little bit of time."

With time running out, Silver already was beginning to grow stressed. Who knew how much time they truly had before Faith's life was in absolute jeopardy. He pulled his hand away from Aurora's head. "That's a luxury we don't have," he dismissed with frustration.

"Look Silver, I'm not going to let you torture my girlfriend, all right?" he said sternly. "She's my girl and she's as much of a victim as all of those kids are," he argued.

The two locked eyes as they stared at each other in moments of silence. Caving slightly, Silver turned around in defeat. "You have five minutes," he spoke before exiting the living room to allow Mighty to work.

"He's got some patience…" Aurora spoke facetiously from behind.

Mighty turned to look at her and frowned. "He's just scared. Faith and those children's lives are at stake."

"I made a promise that I would not allow you or anyone else to intervene in this ritual," she leered.

Mighty cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, well, that's what you think."

•~•

The progress back at the werewolf camp was no better. Sonic continued to try to reason with and get answers from Nicole, but she was definitely stalling. "Look, we're not here to hurt you," he promised.

She shrugged without emotion. "You can't hurt me anymore than I've hurt myself. I didn't know this was going to happen. I didn't know they were going to bring children into it."

"I understand, but just tell us who, _they_ , are."

"Those that serve Infinite, followers of the red light. I thought we were doing something good."

"Like what?" Sonic probed.

"Getting power that we needed, so long as we pledged our allegiance," she answered.

"But Nicole, you're apart of my pack. You have all the power you need here—with us!"

She shot him a bewildered look. "You don't really believe that, do you? You bow down to those Originals like they are your lord and savior," she argued. "Our pack means nothing to you."

It wasn't true, but if he could make her believe she agreed with him, he'd comply. "Fine," he surrendered. "You're right, but just help me find those kids."

Nicole laughed. "You can't help them, Infinite wants power—the type of power that comes from sacrifice. Those kids will die and it will get stronger." Nicole took a few ominous steps towards him. "It will feed and it will rise. We will all bow before it." Her eyes glanced over to Amy and Sally watching off in the distant. "Even you two will bow." Sonic craned his neck to look back at the girls, who seemed to appear creeped out by Nicole's foreshadowing words. "My only regret is that I won't be here to see it," she finished.

With quick precision, she reached for a flip knife in her jacket and stabbed herself in the throat, dropping to the floor. "No, Nicole!" Sonic caught her just as she fell, still holding the knife in her throat. Blood oozed from her open mouth and neck wound as her life quickly faded. "Damn it!"

•~•

In the meantime, it was getting quite intense back at Mighty's place. Mighty had conjured up a powerful cleansing spell in order to counteract the one preventing Silver from his mind games. Aurora screamed in absolute agony as the spell preventing Silver from infiltration or compulsion was ripped away seam by seam. Mighty waved his hands out before her face, continuing his magic infliction. "Make it stop!" she bellowed in pain.

It was hard to watch, especially since it was being done to the love of his life, but he knew this was for her own good. In the background, Silver sat on the couch, idly watching the torture commence before him. He glanced at his wristwatch, counting down the seconds. After a few seconds, he got up, dusting himself up. "You've had exactly five minutes. Time's up."

Feeling panicked; Mighty shot him a pleading look. "Hold on, Silver!"

"Time is running out, I have to give it another shot," Silver argued back.

Mighty stepped protectively in front of her. "She's the love of my life," he gestured. "And I refuse to give up on her!"

Growling, Silver backed off. "Finish it already…" He turned his back and crossed his arms over his chest, irritated that this wasn't done already.

"Alright, this is just going to take a few seconds longer. Okay?"

Blood was oozing from her ears and nose. "You're hurting me!" she screamed irately.

"I know, I know, but I'm almost done." He began to tap his hands together and mumble an incantation that once again brought on immense pain to her brain. She screamed out a blood-curdling scream and shut her eyes tight. She thrashed about in her seat, hoping the pain would end. Silver kept his back to the scene, growing even more impatient.

Then out of nowhere, Aurora managed to rip both her binds on her wrists off the armrests of her seat. Mighty stepped back, stunned by her immense power. "Aurora!" Mighty shouted. Silver spun around and watched as she reached into her cleavage adorning the amulet that was given to her by the cult. Silver began to rush towards her but as she held it out towards him, a powerful force lifted and chucked him into the nearest wall. The throw was so powerful that it formed cracks in the wall. Mighty looked astounded by her new strength.

"There's no going back now, Mighty." She held the necklace out towards him and then sent him hurtling over their dining room table. Mighty screamed as he knocked dishes and glasses off the table and onto the floor. The glass shattered as he landed with a thud. Quickly, Aurora left the house in a hurry, leaving the two males stunned.

Mighty pushed himself off the floor, looking at his new cuts. He groaned as he reeled from the impact. Silver recovered from his throw and extended a hand for him to take. Mighty accepted his help and was lifted back up to his feet. "Any other wonderful ideas?" Silver asked sarcastically.

"Well, I tagged her with magic so now we can trace her right back to the kids," he smirked arrogantly.

Silver looked impressed by the quick thinking. "Then let's go."

•~•

After calling the others to meet them at their new location, Mighty and Silver waited in an unmarked area of the Mystic Ruins. It was starting to get dark now as the sun set in the distance. "I assume you told your brother to be on his best behavior?" Mighty inquired.

"I did but it doesn't mean it'll happen," Silver replied.

As if on cue, Shadow came running over to join the two. "It was quite the pain in the ass to find this place," he grumbled irritably.

"It's no wonder these freaks picked this place," Mighty muttered under his breath, looking at their surroundings.

"Shadow, did you leave Faith with Blaze?" Silver questioned.

The ebony hedgehog nodded. "Yes, she's helping her fight whatever it is right now."

"The kids are attached to that spell so if we save your little girl, we save them all," Mighty reminded.

"—And that's the type of talk I want to hear," a familiar female voice chimed in.

The three males turned, only to spot Amy and Sonic finally joining them. "How has your day been?" she asked with intrigue. She eyed Mighty and Silver up and down, noting their dishelmed clothes and scrapes. "Looks like you've had a rough day," she quickly surmised based off their silence.

"You could assume that," Silver replied.

"Enough small talk, lead the way," Shadow demanded.

"The trail leads off this way, so I guess we follow the breadcrumbs," Mighty gestured.

Shadow huffed. "Best make short work of these cult-lunatics. I say we-"

"—We split up," Sonic cut off, making Shadow shoot him an irritated glare. "Shadow, you're with me," he pointed. "I'm not letting you out of my sight since I know how you can get when you're angry."

Shadow growled lowly. He hated to admit it, but he was right. "Fine. Lead the way."

•~•

With the other three split from the group, Mighty, Silver, and Amy walked with haste as they followed the trail. Mighty had filled in Amy about Aurora's involvement and their findings, but he was curious to learn what she had discovered with Sonic. "So what did you learn from this werewolf?" Mighty probed.

Amy ducked under some low-lying branches as she kept up her stride. "Nicole was talking about some sort of red light. It didn't make much sense to me, if I'm honest."

Mighty's expression perked. "Oh, I've heard of that before. Legend has it that ancient spirits will sometimes present themselves in a ball of light," Mighty explained.

"Wonderful," Silver droned as they continued walking. "So how do we kill it?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Mighty shrugged.

•~•

After some time walking, night had finally approached. A large bonfire was set in display of a circle formed with rocks. Lying on a flat stone surface were the bodies of the missing children, now wrapped in some sort of wool fabric. Two sets of cloaked figures surrounded the bound children as they waited for further instructions. Aurora made her way towards the group and stood before the male crocodile she had met early. The crocodile smiled darkly at her arrival. "Now that you've returned, you may join us as we claim our power—our rightful place. We will lay waste to all that deny our master!"

Shadow and Sonic quietly snuck up on the group, just as they heard the crocodile speak to Aurora. The two stayed behind some brush as they watched and waited for their opportunity to strike. Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Amy, Mighty, and Silver also eavesdropped and stalked the strange ritual from afar. They also decided to wait before striking.

"I am ready to prove my loyalty to Infinite," Aurora spoke confidently. "I know what I have to do and I am not afraid."

"Then we should begin," the crocodile concluded.

Shadow's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the sick ritual. "Enough with this circle of sadists," he whispered venomously. "Let's attack."

Sonic shook his head, not as certain on the decision. "We need to wait for the signal," he whispered back.

Shadow bared his teeth, growing more impatient by the second. "No, I can't wait any longer." His eyes looked around for anything he could use as a weapon. He glanced above them, noticing some sort of dream catcher with assorted bones dangling from strings. He reached up and grabbed one of the sharper looking bones and yanked it off the string.

Sonic's eyes widened as he watched Shadow reach back and throw the bone towards the crocodile, like a boomerang, piercing him through the chest. On the other side of the forest, Amy and Mighty gasped as they watched a bone shoot through the reptile and stick out of his chest.

The other cloaked figures brandished their handheld weapons, realizing they were under attack. Seeing this must be their time to strike, Amy and Silver rushed into battle attacking the cloaked figures. Silver bared his fangs before digging them into the side of one of the cloaked figures. Amy ran over and broke one of the other cloaked figure's necks, killing them instantly. Shadow and Sonic jumped into action, rushing towards the two remaining cloaked figures. Shadow punched a hole through one of their chests, ripping out their heart. Sonic body slammed the remaining one, crushing multiple parts of his body.

Mighty watched from the bushes, terrified by the bloodshed unfolding before him. Once he saw most of them were down, other than Aurora, he knew this was their time to save the children. "Get the kids!" he shouted.

Amy and Sonic rushed over, picking up a body each and rushing them out of the spell circle.

Aurora watched them rescue the children and clutched the amulet in her hand, holding it out before her. She began to mutter some sort of incantation, allowing her to use magic. Mighty spotted his girlfriend doing some sort of spell and his expression grew grave. "Aurora, don't start the spell!"

"It has already started," she smirked darkly.

Suddenly, Sonic's body levitated and he was flung into one of the spell circles. "Ahh!" he screamed.

Seeing Sonic in danger, Shadow rushed towards Aurora and gripped her by the throat. "You," he seethed.

"You can't stop what's coming," she snickered. Aurora's eyes rolled into the back of her head and went unconscious. Then Shadow felt a powerful zap in the hand he used to hold up Aurora. Hissing from the shocking pain, he released his hold on her and she fell to the floor.

Mighty's eyes widened in terror by the sight of his fallen girlfriend "Aurora!"

Right as those words left her mouth, Shadow was also flung into the spell circle that Sonic had landed in. He collided into Sonic, making the two of them grunt from the powerful force. Amy and Silver watched in terror as the circle they were enclosed in, combusted into a circle of flames.

Mighty rushed to Aurora's side after dropping off the final child to a safe distant. He held her in his arms and felt for a pulse, but felt nothing in return. Tears started to well up in his eyes. "No, no, no!"

In the meantime, Shadow and Sonic were rendered immobile as an unseen force forced them into kneeling positions. Silver tried to rush through the flames to save them, but was forced backwards and hurtled into a tree. "Shadow, Sonic!" Amy cried out. She looked over her shoulder at Mighty who was now mourning over his dead girlfriend, "Mighty, we need you!" she shouted, trying to get him to regain his composure.

Coming back to reality, Mighty wiped away the tears and lowered her body to the ground before refocusing on the important mission at hand. He rushed towards the engulfed flames, looking at Shadow and Sonic who now appeared to be in some sort of catatonic state, with their eyes glazed over. "Oh, man, we got this all wrong. They wanted us here all along..."

"But why?" Silver asked, confused by all of this.

"Shadow and Sonic are both hybrids and harvest a lot of energy. They probably wanted to channel their power and anchor Infinite to the living world," he surmised.

Amy stared at her husband, growing more concerned with every minute that passed. "What do we do now?"

Mighty ran his hands over his head, trying to think quickly. Things were starting to get very serious. "Okay, okay…think, think," he mumbled. His eyes looked over to the concealed children wrapped in fabric. "So, those kids are linked to that ritual, right?" he gestured.

"Right," Amy nodded.

"We can't free Sonic and Shadow unless we break that spell," he continued.

"So, how do we stop this?" Silver asked calmly.

"I-I don't know!" Mighty groaned feeling the pressure amount. "It's a sacrificial ritual. I can't break it unless I kill one of the kids." Silver glanced over at the children, looking at each individual as time ticked on.

Amy shook her head, not being able to fathom the idea. "No, no, there has to be another way."

•~•

At that same time, Shadow and Sonic were sent to some sort of dark dimension they had never seen before. Everything was oddly quiet in this realm. They were still stuck in a binding circle, yet there was nothing much around them other than darkness. "Where are we?" Sonic asked lowly, feeling a heaviness overcome him.

"I don't know," Shadow replied weakly, feeling the same heaviness on his end.

Out of nowhere, a bright red light appeared in the corner of the realm. It began to slowly encroach towards them. Shadow squinted at it, trying to figure out what it was before something resonated in his head.

" _Don't look at the red lights."_

Shadow quickly averted his gaze, looking down at the floor instead. "Don't look into the red lights…" he commanded weakly.

Sonic turned his neck, staring straight into the light, not having heard Shadow's warnings. "Wait, what is this?"

Shadow turned his head slightly, looking to see if Sonic was looking at it, and he was. He frowned by this. "No, don't. Shut your eyes," he advised. Unfortunately, for Sonic, it was too late. He was staring at it in almost a trance. Shadow reached out to grab him and shake him out of it, but accidentally caught sight of the light himself.

•~•

Back with the others in the real world, Mighty continued to try to think of a plan to save everyone. "Okay, so uh, these kids are powering that ritual, but there might be a loophole if I link it to you," Mighty surmised as he stared at Silver.

Silver was still staring at the children with a blank expression, until hearing his name. Amy picked up on his longing glance at the children and felt a chill run down her spine. Was he considering what she was thinking? Silver shook his head, coming out of his daze and stared back at him, skeptically. "Are you suggesting we take my life?"

"I'm suggesting we stake you with wood. You die temporarily and that might be enough to break this spell," he elaborated.

Amy could see Silver was skeptical of the idea as his eyes shifted back over to the children. Feeling unease, she walked towards him, blocking his view of the kids. "Silver, it's the only way," she begged.

He looked at her hard for a moment before caving to her demands. His eyes linked with Mightys. "Do it," he demanded.

Mighty nodded and reached out, taking one of the children's hands in his left hand. He reached out with his right and took hands with Silver. With them physically connected he could begin his linking spell. Mighty began to speak an incantation, unlinking the children and directing it to Silver. Silver staggered back as he felt the magic transfer to him. He wobbled slightly and signaled for Amy to be ready. In that time span, Amy searched the grounds of the forest looking for some sort of jagged branch she could use to stake Silver. Eventually, she found the perfect branch and took it in her hands.

For a few more moments, Mighty channeled the spell over to Silver before it was fully complete. He opened his eyes and looked over to Amy. "Amy, do it now!" he shouted.

Amy stabbed the branch through Silver's chest and he instantly felt the effects take place and slowly began to die. His skin turned grey and he collapsed but Amy caught him in her arms, stumbling towards the ground while she held him.

Right then, the flames surrounding Shadow and Sonic extinguished and the two collapsed face first into the dirt. Amy panted as she held Silver's decayed body in her arms. "D-did it w-work?" she stammered.

Mighty remained on his knees, looking over the still passed out children. "I think so…"

Amy pulled out the branch from Silver's chest and threw it in the distance. After a few moments, the coloring returned to his skin and face and he gasped a breath of air as he reanimated. Silver sat upright, and placed a hand to his chest. "Ugh."

Amy blinked a few times as she looked at him. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."

Just then, Shadow and Sonic sat up within the spell circle, groaning and moaning as if they had just had a rough night out drinking. Amy quickly got to her feet and rushed towards them. Shadow propped himself up with one hand, and used the other to rub at his right temple. It felt like he had been hit with a truck with the amount of pain he was feeling. Out of nowhere, Amy collided into him, embracing him tightly. "Shadow!" she exclaimed.

Shadow grunted from her tight embrace. "Rose," he grumbled. "Not too tight."

She relaxed her hug and looked him over. "How do you feel, are you okay?"

He chuckled lowly at her. "Never better."

"Thanks for asking about me," another voice chimed in. Amy looked over to Sonic, who also was feeling similar effects.

She shot him a sheepish grin. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Sonic. How are you doing? Do you feel yourself?"

"I feel like I just went to a stag party," he cracked. "Other than that, it's still me here," he grinned.

Mighty walked over, looking pleased with how everything turned out. "Glad to see its still you two. I'm also happy to announce that the children are waking up now. We should get them back home to their families."

Amy kept her arms around Shadow's neck loosely as she stayed close to him. "We should go see how our own little one is doing. I'm sure she's feeling a lot better."

"You're right. Let's get going."

•~•

Back at the house, Silver, Shadow and Amy returned and came home to the good news that Faith was back to normal. "So, it worked?" Shadow inquired.

Blaze nodded happily. "It worked perfectly. I actually felt the spell lift the moment you ended it. Great job tonight, guys!"

Shadow let out a sigh of relief. "I know she's asleep, but let me just look in on her quickly."

"Just make sure not to wake her up. She just went to sleep again 15 minutes ago. In the meantime, I'll whip up some celebratory drinks for us! I think we've all earned a drink," she laughed lightly.

Shadow headed upstairs and Blaze walked into the kitchen, leaving both Silver and Amy alone in the living room. With the awkward silence commencing, Amy glanced over to Silver who didn't seem to hold much relief, joy, or any type of emotion. Instead, he gazed out the window into the dark of the night. Amy rose off the sofa and wandered over to him, standing just a few feet away.

"Since we're alone now, this gives me the opportunity to ask you something…"

Silver turned around to face her. "What is it?"

She cupped her hands together and her eyes drifted to the carpet below. "…In the woods," she started carefully. "If Mighty hadn't found that loophole, what would you have done to those kids?"

There was a long pause before he finally answered. His eyes bore into hers for what felt like an eternity before he craned his neck to look in the other direction. "Whatever I had to do," he answered bluntly.

Amy frowned by his answer and sighed. "We have got to stop making it a habit of putting our family's lives ahead of others. I don't want that for myself or for Faith. We have to do better."

"This is who I am," he shrugged innocently. "It's what I've done to survive and keep our family safe," he countered.

"What would Blaze say if she heard what you had considered?" she asked quietly.

"She doesn't need to know because I didn't make that choice tonight," he answered simply. "So just drop it," he said before exiting the room.

Unbeknownst to them, Blaze had overheard most of their conversation. She stood in the entryway between the kitchen and living room, hidden behind one of the walls. She had the drinks out on a tray, but had stopped her entrance when hearing their conversation. Just like Amy had said, she wasn't pleased to hear what Silver would have considered doing. To her, it sounded like Silver was fighting his internal demons once again—something she had thought had been put to rest several years ago.

•~•

At the werewolf camp, Sonic, Sally, and Mighty helped reunite the missing kids to their respected loved ones. Mighty couldn't help but smile as he saw the young children greet their worried parents. Even with him losing Aurora tonight, it was still an accomplishment to get the children back unharmed. Mighty turned on his heel after seeing most of the families rejoiced with the return of their child.

"Hey Might!" Sonic called out to his retreating figure. He stopped momentarily as he turned his head to look in his direction. "You can't go home yet, in fact, I think it'd be best if you spent the night here," Sonic advised. "You lost someone dear today and the worst place to go right now is back home…"

"No, it's okay. I'm fine really," he insisted.

Sonic walked over and placed an arm around him, guiding him back into camp. "Just one night, okay? Let's share one drink together."

"I suppose one drink wouldn't hurt…"

Sonic grinned. "Awesome."

•~•

In Sonic's kitchen, even though they intended only to have one drink, one drink easily turned into five. The two had talked a lot about Aurora and how she could have possibly gotten mixed up into the bizarre cult. But right now, Mighty was starting to feel the buzz as he tried to push off the deep despair he truly felt for losing Aurora. Sonic, also felt a bit tipsy himself.

"The thing that this cult idolized—Infinite, must have wanted us there. It wanted to come into our world by anchoring itself to one of us. So, that makes me wonder…did we end it?" he contemplated. "Or is it just getting started?"

"You think it's going to come after me?" Sonic questioned with intrigue.

He fingered the rim of his glass. "I wonder if it hasn't already gotten to you…" Mighty leaned forward in his seat. "Speaking of which, what did you see when you were in the circle?"

Sonic thought long and hard back to when he was in that circle. But as he tried to remember, nothing, in particular, came into mind. "Nothing," Sonic replied after a delayed response. "Not a thing."

"Well, I hope you're right," he shrugged, pushing himself out of his seat. "Now if you excuse me, I need to get some much needed shut eye." Mighty got up from his seat and walked out of the room.

"Night," he replied.

In the meantime, Sonic poured himself some more whisky into his glass. He picked it up with his right hand and stared at the toffee colored liquid inside, before realizing he could see some sort of red light refracting from the glass. Turning around in his seat, Sonic realized the light source was coming from the large wall mirror directly behind him. Almost in a trance-like state, Sonic walked closer to investigate the light. As he stood directly in front of the lights, it grew brighter and brighter and an infinite square suddenly carved itself into the mirror before him. When he looked at his reflection, his pupils disappeared and the whites of his eyes turned blood red.

•~•

At Shadow's place, Faith woke up at 3 AM when she felt the need to pee. She crawled out of bed and wandered down the hall towards the bathroom until she noticed one of the hallway lights buzzed with electricity, almost trying to turn on, but flickered off. She stopped momentarily, and felt a shiver run down her spine, but continued walking, until another hallway light did a similar effect. She got all the way down the hall to the bathroom, until she spotted one of the doors leading to one of the many balconies was wide open. Quietly creeping in that direction, Faith peeked outside, only to see her father leaning on one of the balcony railings.

Faith smiled at him and took a step to approach him just as he turned around to face her. Her smile vanished and turned to horror when she realized that this entity staring back at her was no longer her father, but instead, _something_ else. She screamed a blood-curdling scream as she stared at his eyes. His pupils were gone and the whites of his eyes were a deep blood red.


	34. Split

**Author's Note:** To those of you barraging me with messages asking when the next chapter will be, can you please chill out? I'm a full-time ELA public school teacher. I have over 140 students and have a LOT of papers to grade. At the moment, my life pretty much consists of grading papers, which takes up most of my social life. I promise you I will not abandon this story, but I don't appreciate the hounding of complaints when I don't update fast enough for _certain_ people...Anyway, enough of me bitching, this is aimed at one person and you  know who you are. For the rest, enjoy the next chapter.

•~•

The next morning, Shadow woke up and wandered around the house within the early hours of the morning. It was quiet while the rest of the house slept, but there was something ominous that Shadow just couldn't quite shake off. He walked through the living room with his coffee cup in hand before stopping at the mirror hung up on the wall. Shadow stood before it and looked at his reflection just as his pupils glowed a bright red. Blinking in awe at the sight, Shadow leaned in closer to get a look at his eyes, just when he caught a male figure walking into the other room directly behind him.

He had been paying too much attention to his eyes that he hadn't caught the details of the figure walking behind him. Shadow spun around as he spotted the last bit of their figure entering the kitchen.

He squinted with uncertainty, wondering if he recognized the person accurately. "…Silver?" he called out.

Getting no response, Shadow walked into the kitchen and looked around inside but found no one was there. Right then and there, a shiver ran down his spine. Shadow turned around to exit the kitchen just when he spotted the shadowy figure once again, but this time, heading upstairs. Shadow's heart skipped a beat, and he set his coffee cup down on the table and rushed out of the room. Heading upstairs, Shadow scoped the area, looking for this unannounced intruder. He used his sensitive hearing and sense of smell to try to locate the male but came up short. Feeling rattled and unnerved with being unable to find him, Shadow peeked inside Faith's bedroom just to check in on her.

He smiled when he saw her sleeping soundly. Quietly, Shadow shut her bedroom door, and placed a hand to his face, while he leaned up against the hallway wall. Perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him. It had been a pretty hectic week and he hadn't gotten much sleep last night

•~•

In the Mystic Ruins, Sally found Sonic sat on the dock's edge on his own. Raising a brow, the chipmunk made her way down the dock and took a seat by his side. She looked at him strangely when he didn't bother to look her way and instead kept his focus on the distance ahead of him. "So, you never came to bed last night. What's going on?"

"I've spent the last six hours going to every palm reader and witch doctor I could find. All of them have told me I'm fine, but ever since Shadow and I helped bring down that cult, something has felt… _off_."

"What do you mean?" Sally questioned.

He exhaled a deep sigh and turned to look at her. "Did you notice the mirror in our bar this morning?"

She shook her head. "No, I didn't notice. Why?"

"Last night, I stood in front of that mirror and it cracked into an infinite square before my very eyes," he answered.

Sally looked worried by the statement. "Sonic," he tone shifted into worry. "Why didn't you wake me up last night. If I had known you had been dealing with this, you wouldn't have had to go through all this worrying by yourself," she softly scolded.

"This is exactly why I didn't wake you up last night," he pointed out. "I was afraid of scaring you."

She linked arms with him and leaned in close. "What do you think is happening to you right now?"

"Well, I think this thing has anchored itself to me," he theorized.

Sally helped lift him to his feet and held onto his one arm. "Let's find Mighty." She tried to pull him with her, but he didn't budge. "He should be able to help us!" she spoke with urgency.

"Look, Sal, he had a rough night and needed all the rest he could get, that's why I didn't wake him up the moment this happened. He's had a lot to deal with in the last 48 hours, he needs to be able to recharge. Besides, I saw he had already gone home."

"Well, we need to find him and get help. If we're going to get rid of this thing we're going to need a good witch," she said with determination.

"Leave him out of this for the time being. The guy is mourning his girlfriend right now," Sonic argued. "We can find someone else to help us."

•~•

Later that morning, still in her PJ's, which consisted of a tight tank top, some pajama shorts, and her fuzzy slippers, Amy stood and dried some dishes at the kitchen sink. As she meticulously worked on her dish duty, Shadow walked past the kitchen entrance and stood to watch her do her work. Without him realizing it, his irises flashed red and all emotions, empathy, and reason left his mind. His once normal and calm demeanor shifted into something more calculated. Shadow entered the kitchen making his way straight for Amy with a more cold and detached expression.

Amy heard footsteps approach her from behind, but didn't feel any sense of urgency or distress. Eventually, she felt the person, stop directly behind her and then felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Before she could get a look at whom it was, two arms wrapped around her, forcing her to stop her drying. One of those arms coiled itself around her chest while the other stayed around her waist. Amy giggled in response, knowing exactly who it was. "Morning," she smiled.

Oddly though, Shadow did not respond back but instead began to vigorously kiss at the side of her neck, while the arm around her chest began to grope forcefully at her left breast. Amy scrunched her shoulders, finding his attempts to get her turned on weren't working for her this morning. "Um, Shadow, I'm not really in the mood this morning," she hinted kindly. Once again, Shadow did not utter a word, and continued to kiss and grope at her chest, while his other hand found its way into her pajama pants.

Amy gasped as she felt two of his fingers fervently propel themselves into her vagina, causing her legs to contract inward from discomfort. Usually, Shadow was very gently and forthcoming with his foreplay, but something felt very out of character about this morning. His kisses were a lot more forceful and hard, his groping was too aggressive, not to mention he wasn't talking. Realizing something was extremely erroneous about Shadow's behavior, Amy began to try to wriggle her way out of his hold. "Shadow, stop," she demanded, but got no response. Shadow licked at the side of her neck and even bit down, causing her to yelp from surprise. "Ouch!"

Growling by his lack of communication, Amy lowered her head and threw it back colliding it into Shadow's face. "I said STOP!" she barked. The moment the back of her head collided with his face, he released his hold and stumbled backward.

Rubbing the back of her own head, Amy turned around and placed her other hand on the edge of the counter, as she looked him up and down. She quickly fixed her shifted clothing and glared at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She panted trying to catch her breath and watched him merely wipe away the blood oozing from his broken nose as if it were a scratch. Just by looking at him, she could tell that this was not the same Shadow she had come to know and love. If anything, she had seen something like this once before in her past.

Shadow tried to grab her but Amy used the Tai Chi she had learned over the years for self-defense. She swatted the hand that reached for her away and continued this a few more times as he tried to grab and punch her. Amy dodged his last attempt, blocking his attacks with the back of her arm. Eventually, she ducked under his outstretched arms, running past him and out of the kitchen until she felt him catch up and grab her by the back of the neck. Shadow threw her violently up against the kitchen wall with great force. Amy cried out as she made an impact with the wall, sending a surge vibration through the house and even making it crack slightly.

Coming out of her stupor from the impact, she opened her eyes just as Shadow

began to reach for her again, but someone else quickly intervened. "Shadow, what the hell is going on?!" Silver shouted from the kitchen entrance, showing extreme disapproval by his actions. Silver walked over and reached his hand out to place on his shoulder, but Shadow was quicker than him and grabbed his wrist turning it violently so that it broke in an instance.

Amy cringed from the sound of the bone cracking and hearing Silver's cry. "Gah!"

With that, Shadow did a spin kick and kicked him through the kitchen opening and out into the living room. Coffee tables and other knick-knacks were heard falling and breaking in the other room from his collision. Once Silver was no longer a distraction, he turned his attention back on his main target: Amy. Amy rose to her feet and threw a punch his way, but he purely caught it in the palm of his hand with ease. Amy tried a few more attempts to attack him, but he evaded every kick or punch she gave.

After hearing all the noise, Blaze rushed into the room from all the commotion. "Shadow, why are you doing this? Why did you just attack your brother?"

His red eyes locked on Blaze and he used his agility to zip over and confront her. Blaze stared up at him and trembled. Even she realized she was not dealing with the _real_ , Shadow. Shadow grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the floor. Blaze held onto the hand that gripped her airway, gasping and struggling to breathe. Seeing his wife was in trouble, Silver rushed towards him but Shadow shot his free hand into his brother's chest and ripped his heart out.

Amy screamed when she saw Silver stumble forward and begin to decay. "Silver!" Blaze, in the meantime, was starting to lose consciousness, everything was starting to go black as Shadow focused on ending her life. Amy grabbed one of the kitchen chairs, lifted it up, and slammed it against his back. "Let her go!"

The chair shattered into pieces and caused Shadow to become distracted momentarily. He released his hold on Blaze and she collapsed on the floor, passed out for the time being. Now alone again, Shadow walked towards Amy ready to strike.

Amy tried to make a run for it, but he nabbed her by the waist and then forced her stomach down onto the kitchen table. "Ahhh!" Shadow swiftly grabbed her by both of her arms, keeping them held behind her back. He pinned her down, pushing all of his body weight down on top of her. Amy felt tears prick her eyes, as she knew exactly what he had in store for her. "Shadow, I know what's wrong with you now," she spoke hoping to stall time. "Your humanity's shut off, isn't it?" Still, Shadow refused to speak as he squeezed her arms, causing her left forearm to break. Amy screamed in agony feeling it crack.

"Please," she begged. "Don't do this…This isn't you."

"Leave mama alone!" a little voice cried out.

Shadow ceased his actions and looked over to the kitchen entrance, looking at Faith standing there valiantly. Amy's eyes widened hearing her daughter's voice. Faith was in the same room where her father no longer had logic, reasoning, empathy, or emotion. "Faith, get out of here!" Amy shouted desperately.

"No," she replied, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm not gonna let daddy hurt you."

"Please, baby," she cried. "Don't worry about me, it's you I should be worrying about." Shadow placed his hands on the back of Amy's neck and turned it brutally, causing it to break. Amy was temporarily dead for the time being, but he'd deal with her later. Shadow made no sense of a dire need to rush at Faith, but she glared up at him as he neared her.

Seeing her opportunity arise, Faith stuck one hand out towards him. "Stop!" she screamed. Just then, Shadow halted in his tracks, completely immobile by her freeze spell. Silver started to awaken just as he spotted Faith dealing with her father on her own. He sat up and placed his hand on his now healed chest and watched in awe at the levitating piece of wood float in mid-air.

Keeping her right hand out, Faith eyed some of the splinters of wood lying on the floor. She focused on one piece in particular and it levitated into the air and then struck Shadow straight in the heart. Shadow staggered forward, feeling the wood pierce his heart. Faith released her freeze spell and frowned sadly as she stared up at her father slowly starting to turn grey and decay. She knew his death would only be temporary and watched as he fell to his knees before falling face first onto the floor.

•~•

Back with Sonic and Sally, the two wandered through one of the witch cemeteries after trying to meet with another witch to help aid them in their questions.

Sally tapped her foot as she looked around impatiently. It had been twenty minutes and their witch had yet to appear on time. "This is absurd, I was told this girl was a great shaman. What's her deal with being so late?"

"And who is this again?" Sonic asked having forgotten the name.

"Someone Mary told me about," she replied simply. "There's a werewolf shaman that's a bit of a recluse. She's been known to help many werewolves with other unknown ailments," she explained.

"At this rate, who knows how long Mighty will be outta commission. Call her again and she's what's up," Sonic suggested.

"Alright," she responded. She pulled out her cell phone and looked at the one bar she had for a signal. Sally groaned. "Give me a few minutes," she said before wandering off to find a better spot for cellphone service.

Sonic watched Sally turn a corner around one of the large mausoleums, before turning on his heel. While he waited for her to make his call, a figure passed by him in his peripheral vision. Alarmed by the unannounced guest, Sonic followed the direction where he spotted the stranger. "Uh…hello?" With no response, Sonic knew something was fishy.

He used his speed to zip over to the last known spot where he saw them but found nothing in return. Frowning by this, Sonic turned around, trying to look for any hiding spots. "Alright, whoever you are, this is the wrong day to be playing games."

"Nice to see you again, Sonic," a male voice spoke from behind.

Sonic spun around and stared in confusion at the male standing before him. It was none other than Jax—the blue wolverine he had killed several years ago. "…Jax?"

Jax didn't appear to look as friendly as he saw him before. This time he looked a lot more sinister, unfriendly, and darker. He smirked by Sonic's bewildered expression, "Heh, it looks like you've just seen a ghost, bud."

"Well, yeah," Sonic huffed uncomfortably. "I-I did kill you a long time ago."

"You must be dreaming then," he chuckled.

Sonic stared at him long and hard, analyzing him carefully. There was no way this could be the real Jax. It had been years since he had murdered him when his humanity had been shut off. This had to be his mind playing tricks on him. "…You're not Jax, are you?"

Jax said no words and only gave a coy smile in return, just as his irises flashed red, similar to when he saw he do the same last night. "Are you Infinite?" Sonic questioned sternly.

He nodded. "Good guess."

He glared at him. "So what exactly is it that you want from me?"

"To give you a mission," Jax stated. "And you'll make sure it's good and done."

Sonic crossed his arms over his chest, looking peeved by the demand. "Giving orders now, huh? If this is all in my head, then I should be able to wish your ass away."

He walked circles around the blue hedgehog. "Your wishes won't work today, Sonic."

Sonic rushed towards him and swung a punch, but stumbled into one of the mausoleum walls when he made no impact and went straight through him. Sonic turned around and realized Jax was no longer there. He looked around the side and growled in frustration at his disappearance. "What the hell do you want?" he barked.

Jax reappeared behind him. "Today you're gonna kill Shadow."

Sonic raised a brow and slowly turned around. "And what exactly do you get out of me killing Shadow? I'll tell you right now, I'm not gonna to do it."

"You will because you're here to deliver a sacrifice, either Shadow or yourself. Two powerful badass souls fighting to the death," he grinned maliciously. "Doesn't it sound fun?"

Baring his teeth, Sonic charged Jax and managed to grab ahold of him for the first time. "What if I don't do it," Sonic challenged. He gripped him by the throat and held him up against one of the graveyard walls.

Jax only started to laugh in amusement. "If you refuse then someone very near and dear will take your place…"

Confused by his comment, Sonic blinked a few times, trying to process everything. However, the moment he did so, he quickly realized he wasn't pinning down exactly who he thought he had in his clutches, but instead held Sally.

"Sonic!" Sally cried out, terrified, as she stared back into his eyes. He had grabbed her by the throat for no reason and had been talking back to her as if she was someone else. It was quite frightening to watch from her point of view. She held onto his hand around her throat, trying to pry it off. "Hey, it's me!" she gasped in exasperation.

Coming back into reality, Sonic shook his head and released his hold on his wife's throat. "Shit, Sal…" Just how exactly had he mistaken his own wife for Jax? If this was the type of trickery Infinite could pull on him, it made it all the more terrifying to think he could make a similar mistake again.

Sally looked shaken after seeing what Sonic had just done. "Babe, it's okay, it's just me," she tried to reason, seeing he looked deep in thought.

Sonic staggered backward, feeling terror over the thought that he could have seriously hurt Sally if he hadn't come back into reality. "S-sal, I'm so sorry," he apologized profusely. "I-I thought you were someone else…"

Sally placed a hand to her throat and stroked it gingerly. "This is worse than I thought," she noted. "But thankfully I've got the shaman on the way. I promise that we're going to fix you."

•~•

In another part of town, Shadow finally began to stir from unconsciousness. Coming out of his stupor with his head hung low, he lifted his head and cracked his neck. It was a bit stiff almost like he had been out of it for a while. He grumbled and tried to move his hands, but felt the singeing pain throbbing around his wrists. Looking down, Shadow stared at the drenched ropes, binding him to a seat.

He made fists with his hands but hissed as he felt the ropes dig deeper into his flesh. It was evident that the ropes had been drenched with vervain, leaving an almost raw mark as the liquid ate away at his skin, but who had tied him up here in the first place? The last thing he had remembered was wandering into the kitchen to see what Amy was up to, but after that, everything was a blur.

Looking around his surroundings, Shadow quickly pieced together that he was tied up in his home basement. The vervain ropes that also bound his ankles were leaving a bloody indent as they sizzled away at his skin. "Hello!" he screamed, hoping to get answers and get untied.

Footsteps came rushing down the stairs and he looked towards them seeing Silver and Blaze approach. Shooting them an irked expression, he raised a questionable eyebrow by his current situation. "Any particular reason I'm tied up and bound in the basement?'

"You…you don't remember?" Blaze asked, as she cautiously approached him.

Again, Shadow gave her a perplexed look. Should he remember exactly what happened? "Not a thing, now can you please untie me? These bloody ropes are starting to hurt." He wriggled his arms, trying to loosen them, but they only grew tighter.

"Sorry brother, but we can't do that right now," Silver apologized solemnly, standing before him.

Shadow stopped his struggle and stared back at Silver strangely. Just from his tone, he realized whatever he must have done, must have warranted these ropes. "…What exactly did I do to deserve this restraint?" he inquired curiously.

"You were trying to hurt Amy," Blaze answered.

Shadow felt his heart sink by her words. He had tried to hurt Amy and he couldn't recollect any of it? This had to be some sort of mistake, there was no way he would willingly harm the love of his life. "No, you must be wrong…I-I would never-"

"—But you did," Silver cut off sternly. "Worse yet, you were trying to assault her."

Once again, Shadow felt his fists tighten by the cruel accusation. "You're sick, I've never done such a thing in my entire existence." He squirmed and rocked in his seat, trying to break free. "I'm not some sort of sick, deviant, Ravager!" he bellowed.

"But it's true," Blaze concurred. "We both witnessed what you attempted and we both tried to stop you, and when we did, we too met your wrath."

"If I truly did these horrid deeds then why can I not recall any of it?" he challenged.

"Because I think your humanity may have been shut off temporarily," Silver conjectured. "I've never seen you act so callous and inhuman before. It was like you were no longer there," he explained. "You were willing to kill or hurt anything that got in your way, even your own child…"

Shadow's ears fell at the mention of his child. This was starting to really alarm him. He had gone on this destructive journey, couldn't remember any of it, and now was being told of all the terrible things he had attempted to do. It was if he didn't even recognize himself. "Please…" he croaked, fearing the worst. "Please tell me I didn't hurt _her_."

Silver shook his head. "Thankfully, no. She's actually the one that was able to stop you in the end. If it wasn't for Faith, who knows how far you would have gone…"

He sighed in relief by the news. "Christ," he breathed. "I'm sorry. I don't know how this even happened."

"—I think I know," another voice chimed in. All eyes flew to the staircase, where they spotted Amy wandering down it heedfully.

"Rose," Shadow gasped, feeling his chest tighten at her sight. He stared at the sling around her right arm. He imagined the fear she must have felt by what was described. He could only imagine what she thought of him now. "…Are you okay?"

"You broke my arm back there, but it's okay. It's still healing so I should be all good in the next hour." She walked towards him but stayed a few feet back. "Anyway, I'm fine now, Shadow."

His head fell in shame. "Can you forgive me for my actions?" he questioned. "I understand if it'll take some time for you to forgive me, but I want you to know that wasn't me back there trying to do those things to you…"

"I know it wasn't," she replied calmly. "It was Infinite's influence."

Shadow lifted his head and looked at her in surprise. "How would you know such a thing?"

"What happened back there was something extremely out of character for you. When I looked into your eyes, I knew I was not staring back at my husband. All that was left was some sort of cold, programmed robot, which only had one mission in mind. That's how I was able to figure it all out," she explained.

"I don't understand the Infinite aspect of your theory. We defeated it," he argued.

Amy crossed her arms over her chest. "I thought so too, but I think it's closer than we realize."

"…How so?" he asked suspiciously.

"You said you didn't see anything inside the spell circle when you and Sonic were trapped, right? Well, I think it did just what it wanted to. I believe it's somehow attached a part of itself to you," she gestured towards him.

"She has a good point, you know," Blaze seconded. "Infinite wanted a strong power to harvest and link itself to in order to gain entrance into our world. Both you and Sonic were ideal candidates for the job. It wouldn't surprise me if it erased your memory in order to make us believe it was no longer a threat to our world."

"The question is, where do we go from here?" Silver pondered aloud. "We saw how it was able to control Shadow like its own puppet. It literally turned off your humanity and forced you to do something unthinkable against your will. Who knows what else it can do."

"All I know is that I feel fine at the moment," he adjured. "Please, untie me for the time being, I'm okay. I promise."

"No can do, Shadow. I cannot in good conscience do so until we figure out how to control this thing from controlling you again," Blaze denied.

Shadow turned his head in annoyance. It was irritating, but she probably had a good point. He didn't want to hurt Amy or anyone else for that matter. "Fair enough..."

"Speaking of which, you're sure you haven't felt anything strange since we finished off that cult?" Silver interrogated softly.

"Well…" he began. "I have been seeing things, or so I thought."

"Seeing things," Amy repeated with concern. "Like what?"

"Just figures moving around the house," he shrugged. "I've never gotten a good look at them, but I've felt their presence looming through the house. It all started this morning, but I just thought it was because I was tired," he reasoned.

"I wonder if Sonic's experiencing similar effects?" Blaze speculated.

"We should probably call and find out," Silver counseled.

The three started walking for the staircase. "Let's head upstairs and ring him to find out."


	35. Foes

In a rural part of the Mystic Ruins, Sonic and Sally met up with the shaman Mary had set them up with. A beautiful grey wolf dressed in traditional gown sat across the table from Sonic and held his hands over the tabletop. Sonic stared back at her as she kept her eyes closed, deep in meditation. After a few moments, she let go of his hands and opened her eyes. "So, what did you see?" he probed.

She folded her arms over the table delicately. "This spirit—it's ancient," she answered. "It ebbs and flows like the tide feeding and sleeping."

"So…that means it's awake and I'm lunch?" Sonic deduced jokingly.

"It wants power and you're powerful." she concurred. "Right now, it's caught between the world of the living and…wherever it was originally trapped."

" _Was_ trapped?" Sally repeated.

Lupe nodded. "Yes, it broke free."

"Okay, so how do we get this thing off my husband?" Sally inquired.

Lupe stroked her chin as she contemplated her methods. "Purification could work…unless it comes back, but the best option is you'll have to send this thing back to sleep."

Sonic raised a confused brow. "Huh, what do you mean?"

"Spirits are just another form of power. They can be channeled, deflected, or blocked." She reached for the long beaded necklace around her neck, adorning three different types of leaves and different skeletal bones. "This necklace keeps me safe," she pointed. "They prevent any and all spirits from infecting my head. I could purify some for you and adjust them to your condition, of course," she offered.

Sonic nodded, complying with the idea. "Yeah, all right, let's do it."

"Very well, but in order to sever the link, you're going to have to bury the beads at the root of this creature's power."

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, but how do I do figure out where that is?"

"Is there any place that it has manifested itself before?"

Sonic scratched his head, trying to think back, before remembering something important. "Oh, my friend Mighty mentioned an abandoned house on Angel Island. This thing lured kids there attacked them, and attacked him there as well."

Sally stood up from her seat. "Alright, then let's end this."

Lupe nodded, getting out of her seat as well. "I'll get started on my end."

Sonic and Sally watched as Lupe left the room to start her purification. "Once she's done with those beads, let's head there babe," Sally urged

Sonic reached for Sally's hand as she turned to leave the room. "I can't let you go with me, it's too dangerous."

She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. "Hey, I don't take orders from you. I'm going."

With that, she pulled her hand out of his and tried to walk off, but he grabbed her forearm and pulled her in for a kiss. Sally closed her eyes, relishing in the smooth kiss until they pulled apart. She looked into his eyes as he looked back into hers lovingly. "Please," he whispered. "Stay here so I know you're safe," he ordered softly.

Damn him, Sonic always knew how to swoon and win her over. He was so protective of her and deep down; she knew his intentions were well. She softened and sighed in defeat. "Fine, but just don't get into any more trouble. Okay?"

"Promise," he pledged.

•~•

Back downstairs, Shadow remained bound to the seat he was being held in. It was quiet and he was left with his thoughts. What were Infinite's motives in the first place? Was it merely playing a game or just flexing it's power and influence?

"… _Mercy is for the weak,"_ a masculine and familiar voice whispered from behind him, the voice, reverberating in his ears.

Shadow closed his eyes for a moment, praying that it wasn't the person he thought it was. He turned his head slightly and opened his eyes only to come face to face with his father. Coal was there, in the flesh, and walked around him, standing directly in front of him. "I assume you would have run like the pathetic, sniveling coward that you are if you weren't tied up like a filthy dog," he spat in disgust.

Shadow scowled as he looked up at him. "And I assume I have the misfortune of meeting Infinite," he droned dryly.

"You know I am not your father?" he questioned in surprise.

"Of course, Amy put my father down once and for all. Clearly, you're Infinite trying to play some sort of sick game," Shadow deduced and looked away.

"Clever boy. You are right, you address no one," he smirked wickedly. "I am only here in your mind." Suddenly he appeared directly behind him, causing Shadow to gasp from his quick and elusive tricks. "I can see your worst fears like the father that you loathed, the terror that this is how your daughter will perceive you one day," he alluded.

"—A depraved demon sputtering psychoanalysis?" he snapped back with amusement. "Do you speak from personal experience?" Shadow craned his neck, looking back at him, showing no fear. "Did you come from a broken home, too?" He questioned. "Did daddy drink too much or mommy never love you?" he mocked in a feigned compassionate tone.

Coal slugged him across the face, making Shadow's face snapped to the side. Stupefied for a moment, Shadow shook his head, and spit out some blood from the attack. He knew Coal was a figment of his imagination, but he never imagined this illusion would actually be able to physically harm him. "Damn," he mused. "That actually hurt a bit."

"It'll hurt a lot more if you continue to mock me," he warned. "After all, you've seen what I can coerce you to do," he snickered.

"You're sick for making me do that, and for what?!" he barked, wishing he could lunge at him.

"Just so you know that you have absolutely no control of stopping me. When I want something done, then it shall be completed. If you don't do as I say, I'll do worse to that wench," he hissed. "Now, listen carefully, boy. I'm going to assign you your next assignment..."

Shadow growled lowly at the thought of being bossed around by this strange entity. "And just what is that?" Coal lifted his right hand up and snapped his fingers. The ropes keeping Shadow tied down unraveled and fell into a pile on the floor. Shadow moved his arms, finally free for the first time in hours. He stood and rubbed at one of his sore wrists. "You are going to locate that blue hedgehog friend of yours and kill him," he ordered.

Shadow looked mystified by the command. "I'm not going to kill Sonic," he retorted. "He's become a good friend of mine."

"It's either you or him," he rebutted. "Sonic has been assigned the same mission. Today one of you will die," he grinned sinfully.

"I see," Shadow concluded. "So he is under your influence as well. And what if we both choose not to go through with your demands?"

"Easy," he responded. "Then both of your beloveds will perish by both of your hands," he gestured.

Shadow furrowed his brows. "How am I suppose to go through with such an act when I am confined to this spell trap circle?" he challenged.

Coal looked down at the drawn chalk spell, lifted his right foot and dragged it across the spell circle, smearing it and allowing enough space for him to walk through. He knelt down and placed the palms of his hands on the circled and muttered an incantation. After a few moments, he stood upright and grinned arrogantly. "I have disturbed the spell, therefore, you are free to go…"

Shadow stepped out of the circle, amazed and impressed by his sorcery. "You just undid another witch's trap spell like it a mere chore, impressive."

"Enough feigned accolades. Go before I turn off that humanity again," he threatened.

"Fine." With that, Shadow used his vampire speed to rush out of the home before he was detected missing by his family. He didn't need them involved or potentially used as collateral damage. The lesser they knew, the better.

•~•

Driving back to camp, Sally's phone started ringing. Quickly, she answered it and put it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Sally, it's Amy. Are you busy at the moment?"

Sally continued to steer with one hand, while she held the phone with the other. "Not really, I'm just driving back to camp. What's up?"

"I was just calling to find out if Sonic had been experiencing anything strange since last night?"

"It's so weird that you mention that. He has been seeing some stuff lately," she replied. "We actually just visited a witch doctor to help him out. He thinks this spirit may have attached itself to him."

"Damn it," Amy muttered. "Shadow's been having something similar happening to him. Where is Sonic right now?"

"He's on his own working on severing the link to the spirit," she answered. "Why?"

"Let me get back to you on that," Amy replied. "Try to get in contact with Sonic," she urged before hanging up.

Amy turned to look at Silver. "This can't possibly be good…"

Silver shook his head, agreeing with her after eavesdropping in on their phone call. "Not at all, we need to notify Shadow about this."

•~•

Finally getting back to camp, Sally attempted to get ahold of Sonic for the fifth time, but for whatever reason, he was not answering his phone. "Damn it, Sonic…" she cursed. Just then, she spotted a familiar pick up truck pull into camp. She smiled when she saw the dingo hop out of his van.

Caleb waved in her direction as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Long time no see!"

Momentarily forgetting about the crucial situation, Sally ran over to greet him and gave him a friendly hug. "Hey there, how are you?"

He parted from her embrace. "A lot better," he answered. "I really needed that alone time after Andrew's death. How have things held up since I've been gone?"

Sally's smile faded, quickly remembering their predicament. "Uh, about that…" she trailed off. "Let me fill you in."

•~•

Back at the house, Amy headed downstairs to inform Shadow of her last phone call, however, when she neared the bottom of the stairs, something didn't feel right. It was too quiet. "Shadow, I just got off the phone with Sally and there's something you need to know…" Amy announced. When she heard nothing in return, she rounded the corner only to grow alarmed by Shadow's disappearance. The ropes keeping him held down were all over the floor, and the spell circle keeping him trapped was messed up in places, almost like someone had used their foot to wipe away at it. "Shadow!"

Hearing her panicked voice, Blaze and Silver came rushing down to see what the commotion was. "What's going on?" Silver questioned.

"He's gone, Shadow's gone," Amy replied.

"What?" Blaze gawked. "That's impossible, that spell circle should have kept him contained unless I undid the seal."

Silver knelt down and touched at the chalk-drawn spell circle. "It looks like someone was messing with it."

"Well, it wasn't me," Amy proclaimed. "Has anyone else been down here?"

Blaze shook her head. "We've all been upstairs, and Faith's been under our supervision. This doesn't make any sense, how did none of us hear him leave the house?"

"No clue," Silver rebutted, feeling something fishy with the incident. "Either way, we've now got a dangerous hybrid out on the loose. We need to track him down and get him back here before he hurts someone else or himself…"

Amy bundled her quills and put them up into a short ponytail. "I'll find him."

"Amy, are you sure that's a good idea?" Silver questioned with reluctance. "After all, you were the last person he tried to hurt."

"I'll be fine," she assured.

Silver grabbed her by the forearm. "There's no way I'm letting you go on your own, I'm going with you."

Amy began ascending the staircase. "Then let's go. We're losing light and time."

•~•

At the werewolf camp, Sally and Caleb walked side by side through the woods as she filled him in on everything that had happened. The dingo felt a heaviness consume him by all the things going on in camp. "Sounds like a lot of shit's been happening since I've been outta town. Why didn't you call me about the hunters? I would have been home in a flash!"

Sally kept her hands in her jean pockets while they strolled through a beaten down a trail. "Sonic and I knew you needed that alone time and we didn't want to bother you. We figured we could handle it ourselves," she justified.

He stopped in his tracks looking dismal at the thought. "If I had found out something had happened to you while I was away, I don't think I could live with myself.

She bowed her head apologetically. "I'm sorry, but if it makes you feel better. The hunters coming after me have seemed to have ceased."

"Well, that's good to hear." He tilted his head at her as he remembered something else. "And what happened to Nicole again?"

She sighed. "All we know is this cult wanted to sacrifice children. Nicole got caught up in it and when she tried to get out, she couldn't. Sonic and I went to her for information but she ended up killing herself."

"This doesn't make any sense. Why is someone recruiting werewolves into a witch cult?"

"That's why I came to you, Caleb. You know this pack better than anyone. If you know of anything strange, let me know. These people seem to obsess over a specific image. It's some sort of infinite looking square."

Hearing the description described to him, Caleb's ears perked. "…Say that again," he repeated.

"You know, like an endless amount of squares," she expressed.

Growing serious, Caleb nodded his head, signaling her to follow him. "In that case, there's something you need to see."

•~•

Meanwhile, with Shadow, the ebony hedgehog walked the streets of Station Square in no particular hurry or urgency. He briskly walked past locals and tourists' window-shopping on the busy sidewalks. Eventually, he turned down a secret alleyway, known only to few, to help navigate around the busy crowds. Feeling someone following him, Shadow stopped momentarily knowing exactly who it was. "Are you lost?" he questioned, spotting Infinite disguised as his father, following closely behind.

"It's been hours and it seems like you're merely stalling," he noted. "Are you unable to sniff out that blue werewolf?"

Shadow rolled his eyes and began walking again. "You might not like my methods, but that's not up to you. I'll find him, _eventually_."

"…You don't intend to kill Sonic, do you?" Coal questioned with suspicion.

Shadow stopped in his tracks and looked down at the cobblestone ground. With Shadow's lack of response, Coal grew irate getting a pretty clear answer from him. "Your father was right, you are a coward. He lost everything he loved because of your cowardice. And now, due to your pathetic fear of killing Sonic, you will suffer the same fate," he pointed.

Shadow scoffed and turned around. "More meaningless threats… Is that the extent of your power? If so, I remain underwhelmed."

Coal scowled at his mockery. "You think I'm powerless?" Within seconds, Coal rushed towards him with incredible speed and plummeted the white oak stake into his chest. Shadow cried out as he felt it pierce through him, but then within moments, the pain subsided, and he realized it was all just an illusion. Coal stood behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can make you see and feel whatever I like."

Shadow swiped his hand off his shoulder like dust. "Do your worst, I know the truth. The white oak stake is gone, Coal is dead, and you are nothing more than a bad dream."

"Then maybe I'll find my way into your daughter's dreams instead," he alluded wickedly, causing Shadow's eyes to widen in terror by the thought. Seeing his reaction, Coal knew he had gotten to his weak spot. He walked around him and stood just in front of the hybrid. "What fun it'll be to be inside her head."

Feeling his adrenaline pumping, Shadow violently kicked Coal in the chest, sending him flying down the alleyway. He stared at his still body, lying on the floor until he felt a presence loom behind him. "Ruthless, but nicely done-" Shadow didn't allow Coal to finish as he turned around and grabbed ahold of his head, breaking his neck in an instance. Coal's body, once again, fell to the floor, dead.

Shadow turned his head to the left and spotted yet another illusion of his father marching towards him, but he did not allow him to get any closer, when he grabbed him by the throat and ripped out the front part of it, leaving a large lesion. Coal gurgled on blood before falling face first into the concrete. Shadow blinked a few times, coming back to reality and seeing the real bloodshed he had caused.

All the _Coals,_ he had killed had actually happened to be real innocent civilians walking the streets of the city. He looked down at his bloodied hands, reeling from his careless mistake. "Shit…" he mumbled.

"Yes, now imagine if I made you kill someone you cared about?" Coal retorted from behind him. Shadow spun around to face him and furrowed his brows at the deceitful spirit. "Or maybe I already have. Take another look, Shadow," he beckoned.

Shadow took another look at the innocent bystanders but felt his heart sink when he recognized one of the individuals he had slaughtered. Amy's body laid face first on the floor, with a large gash torn out from the front of her throat. A fresh pool of dark, red, blood surrounded under her chest. "No, no, no, no," Shadow said in the panic. He dropped down to his knees, looking her over. As bad as it looked, he knew she'd reanimate thanks to her vampire nature. Shadow was thanking his blessing that he hadn't ripped out any hearts, if he had, she would have been gone for good.

"That's not all you harmed," Coal tsked.

Shadow glanced over to the body that he had broken the neck of, and of course, it was none other than his own brother. "Silver, too…" he growled.

"Next time, it might even be Faith," Coal hinted.

Shadow stood up abruptly to face him. "Absolutely not!" he bellowed.

"Even if you could resist, who will stop Sonic? After all, I'm having my fun with him as well…I will make him tear through your family like you have these people," he gestured. Shadow took another glance at the dead. It seemed like this spirit really wasn't messing around. Perhaps he would have to go through with his demands after all. Seeing Shadow begin to cave, Coal chuckled. "Now, you only have the one choice, _boy_." He walked closer, and leaned his head in close to his ear. "Kill Sonic…or he will kill you and everything you love."

•~•

In the Mystic Ruins, Sally and Caleb sat inside his trailer as he showed something to Sally that linked his knowledge to their new threat. The two sat at his small dining room booth as he rummaged through an old box. Eventually, he found the item he was looking for and pulled out an old black journal. Blowing off the dust on the front cover, he handed it to Sally.

"This journal belonged to my great-grandfather," Caleb explained. "He filled it in the months before he died. Most of it is just revolutionist garbage—plots for an uprising and what not, but more than anything, his writing is really loony."

She examined it carefully. "Really, like what?"

Caleb flipped a few pages. "Just look," he pointed to a particular page near the beginning the journal. "This handwriting is crisp and clean. He was able to form sentences and whatnot. Then…" He flipped further into the book, and stopped at one of the last few pages. "Look here."

Sally studied the page and noticed the huge difference in quality. The handwriting was more erratic; the sentences were absolutely incoherent—making no true sense. And finally, on the last page was a hand-drawn sketch of the infinite squares they had all seen painted on walls all over town. "He went crazy," Sally deduced.

Caleb nodded. "Yeah, and he ended up murdering great-grandmother."

•~•

At the house, both Amy and Silver awoke reanimated on two opposite sofas. Amy gasped as she panted and took in her surroundings. She touched at her throat, feeling it completely healed. "I-I'm back home?"

Silver groaned as he sat upright on the couch. He placed a hand on the back of his neck, feeling stiff. "Christ, you'd think you'd grow used to having your neck snapped several thousand times by now, yet, it still feels crappy when you come back."

Blaze entered the living room where the two were. "Happy to see you back with the living." She offered them each a glass of blood. "Eat up, I'm sure you're famished.

The two took a few sips and chugs of their beverage. Amy placed her glass down for a moment. "How'd we get back here in the first place?"

"Shadow brought you two back," Blaze answered. "He explained everything once he arrived." Right on cue, the black and red hedgehog sauntered into the room, but stopped just in the doorway, leaving plenty of room between them.

Amy rose from her seat and smiled at his appearance. "Shadow…" she walked towards him. "I was so worried and-"

"—Rose, don't come any closer," he shouted authoritatively causing her to halt. "I don't want to hurt you, but I can't trust myself right now."

Amy shook her head. "No, really, Shadow, it's-"

"—I said stay back," he snapped.

Obliging by his sharp tone, Amy took a few steps back, rattled from his loud and booming voice. "I'm sorry…"

He sighed hearing her apologetic tone. He wasn't doing this to be mean, he was doing it to protect her. "No, it's just…I've underestimated our foe. Infinite is more powerful than I thought. It made me see things and I could have easily killed you today by accident." Shadow glanced down at a bowl of water he had used to clean up the blood off Amy's body. When he looked at his reflection, his irises flashed red. Shadow growled at the sight and slapped the bowl of water violently out of frustration. He gripped the sides of his head. "I can feel it in my head!"

"Then let me purify you," Blaze suggested. "We're only here to help you, Shadow. Not hurt you."

He bowed his head, feeling resigned. "It won't work…"

"Then let me at least try," the cat urged.

Shadow shrugged in defeat, confirming her suggestion. Cautiously, Blaze walked over and took Shadow's hands in his. She closed her eyes and muttered and incantation, channeling her magic. In her vision, she could feel Infinite's link and tried to sever it. Shadow felt a pull on his body and closed his eyes, praying her purification spell would work. After a few moments, Blaze stopped her spell and opened her eyes. Shadow mimicked her actions looking at her, but felt his stomach drop by her grave expression. "What's wrong, did it work?"

Blaze shook her head. "No, its roots are too deep, I can't get rid of it…but I know what it wants."

Shadow swallowed the lump in his throat. "For me to kill Sonic or for him to kill me?" he assumed.

Blaze nodded solemnly. "But Shadow, if this thing is demanding a blood sacrifice it will only strengthen it."

"It's either me or him."

"Hold on a second," Silver interrupted. "Are you really considering killing Sonic, just for the sake of Infinite possibly releasing his hold over you? Can we really trust this thing with its word?" he challenged.

"That's a risk I'm going to have to take." He turned toward the front door. "Don't follow me," Shadow replied before zipping off to complete his mission.

Unbeknownst to the group, Faith watched as her father left their home, and quickly ran back upstairs to her room to devise her own plan.

•~•

On Angel Island, at the abandoned house, Shadow quietly opened the front door, only to see Sonic grasping a beaded necklace in one hand, and rummaging around old boxes left by the last owners. He walked inside silently, sneaking up on the blue hedgehog ready to strike, but as he got closer, he felt a gut-wrenching feeling of guilt in his stomach. He sighed internally and decided to announce his presence. "…Hello Sonic," Shadow greeted.

Sonic spun around and faced the ebony hedgehog standing several feet away from him. He looked at him apprehensively and guarded. "Shadow…what are you doing here?"

Shadow went to open his mouth to answer, but suddenly, the front door slammed shut behind him. The hybrid looked away from the sealed door and towards his new foe. "It seems neither of us is to leave until one of us dies."

Realizing what was happening, Sonic took a few steps back. "Whoa, whoa," he put his hands up in front of him. "I know you're seeing things too, Shadow, but I have a way to fix that for both of us," he promised.

Shadow took a few casual steps towards him. "And I'm to take your word for it, am I?" he replied with suspicion.

"Don't be stupid now, I don't want to have to hurt you," Sonic warned.

"I'm sorry," Shadow apologized, "But I have to do this if it'll protect my family."

"Look Shadow, you have to trust me so that we can both live," Sonic pleaded.

"How can I trust you when I know damn well it gave you the same ultimatum it gave me," he snapped.

Sonic held up a beaded necklace with feathers and bones. "Spelled beads keep me safe from this damn thing," he gestured. "If I bury these here then we're all done, get it? No need to fight."

Shadow felt his tense stance deplete slightly, that is until he noticed another spectator standing behind Sonic. It was Coal, and he stood off to the side of the blue hedgehog, eying him with caution. "He hopes to lower your guard with his lies," Coal warned. "Then he will try to kill you. These beads will do nothing! Don't be a damn fool."

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "I am no fool…"

Sonic raised a brow by his statement. "What? I never called you one, to begin with."

Shadow lunged for him, but Sonic evaded his attack at the last second. Growling in frustration by his missed attack, Shadow pounded the side of his fist on the floor. "My family won't be safe unless you're put down," he shouted.

Sonic panted as he eyed Shadow. "Damn it, Shadow. I didn't come here to fight. You're going to regret this!"

Shadow came for him again, upper cutting Sonic in the face. Sonic lifted his right leg and kicked Shadow in the chest, making him fly violently back and into one of the nearby walls. Recovering quickly, Shadow rebounded and forced Sonic into hand-to-hand combat. While Sonic and Shadow punched, and blocked each other shots, getting in a few hits every now and then, another visitor appeared, but this time it was Jax.

The blue wolverine, stood behind Shadow watching their fight unfold. "End this now, there is no other way…Think of your wife."

Sonic used quick thinking and head-butted Shadow, stunning him momentarily. Shadow stumbled backward, trying to regain his bearings but Sonic spotted the nearby staircase. He kicked at one of the railings, breaking the wood into shards. He picked one up and threw it towards Shadow. It impaled him in the right shoulder, making him cry out. "GAH!"

Once again, Coal's apparition appeared behind Shadow. "Fight you, coward! Otherwise, it'll be your daughter's life."

Shadow quickly pulled out the wood and tossed the bloody shard on the floor. He touched the spot where he bleeds, noticing a pool of blood collecting on the floor beneath him. "I won't let you hurt my child!" He tackled Sonic to the floor and the two rolled around on the ground, kicking and punching one another.

"Stop it, Shadow," Sonic bellowed. He held Shadow by the throat and shoulder, trying to keep him away. "I'm not this thing's puppet and neither are you!" He shoved him off and sat upright, trying to catch his breath. "We cannot give it what it wants, man!"

"Daddy!" a little voice cried out. Both hedgehogs looked over and seemed surprised to see Faith standing in the doorway of the home.

Shadow blinked a few times in awe, trying to determine if this was reality or Infinite playing mind games with him. "Faith…"

Faith ran towards the two and jumped into her father's arms. "Please don't hurt him, daddy, that's what it wants!"

Shadow held his daughter in his arms, still stunned and confused. "Faith, is that really you?"

"It has to be," Sonic replied. "I can see her too."

"It is me!" she exclaimed. "I came here to stop you."

Shadow stroked the top of her head. "How did you even get here on your own?"

She looked away with guilt. "I tagged you with a locator spell and then used a transportation spell to get here. Mama doesn't know I'm here right now…"

"Faith," Shadow spoke in a reprimanding voice. "Your mother is probably worried sick right now."

"For real, kiddo. You could've gotten seriously hurt," Sonic added.

While the group talked, the three remained oblivious to a dark entity beginning to form itself out of a ghastly black cloud in the next room over. It's bright yellow eyes illuminated in the dark clouds, watching its prey from around the corner.

Faith lowered her head in shame, hearing the disappointment in both their voices. "I'm sorry. I wanted to help…"

"You two should head out," Sonic waved. "I don't know about you, but I don't feel that thing inside my head any longer. Right now, it's probably safe to get her back home."

Shadow dwelled on Sonic's comment for a moment. Now that he mentioned it, he too hadn't felt the heaviness consuming his head. "You're right…I don't feel its presence any longer either."

Sonic scratched the back of his head. "I wonder where it went?"

Just then, Faith noticed something encroaching towards them while their backs were turned. She screamed as she stared at the ghostly figure making its way towards them. Shadow and Sonic spun around to see what she was looking at, only to realize it was Infinite's spirit coming towards them. It chuckled darkly and manically.

The two males stood in defensive positions in front of Faith, protecting her at all costs. "Fools!" it bellowed in a booming voice. The entire house shook from its words.

"Got a plan?" Sonic asked, and looked to Shadow.

"None," Shadow replied. "Hold tight, I think we're in for a rough fight."

Still appearing in a cloud-like state, Infinite stuck out his arms and sent both Sonic and Shadow hurtling backward. The two male hedgehogs crashed through the walls and into debris. Faith screamed in terror, seeing her father and uncle fall so easily to this being's power.

"Now it's just you and I little girl," he cackled. "But first, to gain all my power, allow me to finish off your wretched father and that stupid blue hedgehog."

Faith's brows furrowed at the idea. She glared at Infinite getting closer to its targets. "No, you leave my daddy alone!" she screamed, sending some-sort of shockwave just by her voice. The sound was too much for Infinite to handle, and he covered his ears, writhing in the pain of the sound waves. "AUGH!" His spirit dissipated into a red light, vanishing from sight.

Shadow and Sonic quickly rushed over to Faith after seeing her attack. Shadow scooped her up into his arms. "Sweetheart, are you okay?" he asked, looking her over.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling him. "I'm okay. Are you okay?"

Shadow glanced at Sonic for a moment. "I think we're both fine, wouldn't you say?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, but that was some wicked attack! What'd you do back there, kiddo?" he smiled, ruffling her bangs.

She shrugged. "I dunno. I just wanted it to go away."

"Well, whatever it was, it worked," Shadow noted. "Let's get out of here before it comes back." With that said, the three left the building.

•~•

Later that evening, back inside the abandoned home, the pool of blood collected on the floor from Shadow's injury started to grow a bright green vine with sharp thorns. It grew more and more as it drank in Shadow's sweet nectar.

Lupe walked into the abandoned home, standing before the growing vines. She smiled wickedly as she stared at the vines growing more and more. "Is this the weapon you promised you'd provide me?" she asked aloud.

Strong winds swept through the house, blowing dust any other debris around her. She heard the faint whispers of a voice carried in the wind and smiled in delight. "I understand," she replied. "So this will be able to put down an Original then? Even that hybrid?" The winds moved through the house again, sending more whispers. Lupe listened carefully, to pick up the response. "All I have to do is use these thorns to craft into a weapon then?" She pulled out a blade from her side and cut one of the vines, to study the plant. "Very well then. The next stage of the plan will be put in place," she pledged.

•~•


	36. The Monster Within

Author's Note: Hey guys, long time no see. It's been a while since I've updated but I have some valid reasons why. On Dec 2nd, I tragically lost my beloved six-year-old schnauzer to Cane Toad poisoning. My dog, Dexter, got ahold of one in his mouth and was dead in 25 minutes. It was one of the most traumatic things I have ever experienced in my life. I was rushing him to the vet as he was dying and sadly, he was pronounced brain dead on arrival and I had to put him to sleep. This really fucked me up to be honest because it was so sudden and random. Next, my laptop wifi card died and I had to get it replaced so I had no computer for 2 weeks. Finally, it was midterm time for my middle schoolers and I was very busy. Sorry if I sound so abrupt, but I'm still dealing with the death of my dog. I hope you guys like this new chapter. Peace.

•~•

~A few days later~

Amy scratched her head after hearing her husband's latest plan. The two were sitting on the front porch discussing their next move. "So, wait, what exactly are we doing again?" she inquired.

Shadow sighed. "Throwing a party," he answered.

"And you really think a party is due at a time like this?" she challenged. "We still have that crazy spirit on the loose, not to mention all of its followers!"

"Exactly," he noted. "Which is a why a party is a perfect trap to lure out and expose them," he smirked.

Amy blinked a few times in puzzlement at his logic. "And just how exactly do you know this..?"

"Creatures from all over town have been invited to our party as a ruse to unveil their true motives. They think this is nothing but us celebrating our victory of destroying Infinite. I've invited the covens from downtown, Sonic's pack from the Mystic Ruins, not to mention all the vampires from Station Square," he explained.

"Wouldn't a follower of Infinite's be an idiot to show up?"

"They'll simply think it's a party for a good laugh and a good time, and more than likely try to seek intel themselves. Don't think too hard on it, love. It'll work," he promised.

"I think this is just an excuse so you can decorate and throw another big shindig," Amy mumbled under her breath. "You love hosting big events after all."

"A party?" another little voice chimed in. Shadow and Amy turned only to see Faith bounding towards them out the front door. "Am I going, too?" she squealed in excitement, clasping her hands together hopefully.

"I'm afraid not, little one," Shadow confessed causing Faith's beaming smile to fade into a deep frown. He patted her softly on the head. "This is for adults only."

She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "But I promise to be very good," she pledged.

"Trust me," he smiled. "I believe you'll be on your best behavior, it's the others attending that I'm worried _won't_ be," he theorized.

"Don't worry, baby," Amy piped in. "You wouldn't have much fun anyway. It's just going to be a lot of people hanging around and talking about boring adult stuff. You'll have much more fun hanging out with Miss Mary," Amy assured with a sweet smile.

•~•

At Mighty's house, Silver and Mighty stood before a large map of the city plastered on his living room wall. Mighty had done his mourning and was ready to get back into action. The two studied the map and the different colored strings pinned down on certain sections of the city.

Silver raised a brow as he stared at something peculiar. "What is the meaning behind all these pins with the red thread?"

"I did some research and found out that every time this thing tries to revive, it attempts to do so in these four locations."

Silver looked disturbed by one particular location. His hand reached out and pointed to one of the pins on the map. "Why here? This is the address of our home."

Mighty shrugged. "Not a clue, I'm still working on a theory."

"I see," he mumbled. "Well, what else have you learned?"

"This thing has been haunting the city for a long time. Before today, the only thing I knew about it, was that it was a spirit practicing very dark magic, and was trying to desperately get back into our world. That's why it tried to sacrifice those kids."

"But what about its attempt to kill Sonic and Shadow?" Silver inquired.

"Well…" he started. "If those two died, then it absorbs all of their power," he answered.

Silver sighed, feeling his fist tighten at his sides. "What is its main objective?"

"It's a ghost," he shrugged. "It wants access to this world, so it whispers to the desperate who will listen."

Silver turned to look at him. "There have to be others, someone else, someone who could speak to us of its desires, of its weaknesses."

Mighty took a seat on his sofa. "Do you think this person might show up to your party?"

"I'm counting on it and I'm counting on you, too. Help me find them."

•~•

Once returning home, Silver strolled up the walkway of their home, only to notice many compelled mortal workers busy setting up for the big party. Silver walked around the side of the house, noticing all the banners, balloons, and gorgeous table displays on set. He spotted his younger brother, working out back on a large piece of ice, carving it into an elegant swan. He chuckled, seeing Shadow's artistic side coming out once again and shook his head. "You've really outdone yourself this time," Silver praised.

"Thank you." Shadow looked up from his work briefly, holding his ice carving tools in hand. "But it's such a shame these linens will soon be red with blood," he said facetiously.

Silver stopped just beside him, taking in Shadow's progress of his ice display. "Violence must only be as a last resort, otherwise, it will only weaken our position," he reminded.

Shadow shrugged innocently. "Yes, well, I'm a creature of very specific habits," he replied holding out his ice pix.

" _Brother_ ," Silver reprimanded playfully. "Please remember the plan tonight is to create a false sense of security—A little music, a little champagne, some stealthy reconnaissance, but absolutely no bloodshed," he made explicit.

Shadow huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Very well…But they threatened me and my child, so bloodshed will be inevitable."

"And how do we protect Faith from all of this?" Silver questioned. Shadow faltered in his bold bravado and walked over to a nearby food station. Silver watched his retreating figure and frowned. "She absolutely worships you, Shadow. She must not see the monster within…"

He lowered his tools onto the table and rubbed the skin between his eyes as he kept them closed. "I do not wish for her to see me as a monster, but I cannot sit idly by, while threats to our family go unanswered."

"I promise you, they won't," Silver assured. Shadow felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes. He turned to look at Silver and watched as he gave him a warm smile. "Now, let me do this, please. Should any turmoil arise, should anyone dare to disrupt our kingdom, let them answer to me," he pointed.

Shadow nodded, confirming his approval of his role. "I leave it up to you, then."

•~•

Later that night at the party, Silver stood at the entrance of their home, greeting their guests. The backyard was completely packed with all types of supernatural creatures. There were vampires, werewolves, and even witches all in one location. Everyone was dressed to the nines in handsome black suits, ties, gorgeous cocktail dresses, and ball gowns. Hendrix and his coven stood in one area of the backyard talking to Caleb and some of Sally and Sonic's pack, while other newcomers mingled around the snack table or dance floor.

In the meantime, Shadow and Amy conversed with a group of witches from another section of town, while Sonic and Sally talked to a group of vampires from the rural parts. The atmosphere was lively and upbeat as some guests danced on the dance floor, while others ate and drank. A compelled mortal band set up on a portable stage, played lovely jazz music for all to enjoy.

Breaking away from Amy's side for a moment, Shadow wandered over to Mighty who was currently introducing himself to different guests and shaking their hand. After parting from a handshake, Mighty turned, only to nearly bump into Shadow. "Making new friends?" he inquired with a coy grin.

"I'm not shaking random hands for nothing," he responded.

Shadow took a sip of his drink. "No signs of Infinite's followers then?"

Mighty shook his head. "Not yet, but what is your contribution to this plan?"

"I'm playing host," he grinned before heading back into the crowd and disappearing.

Mighty groaned by Shadow's response and went back to work talking to multiple different individuals of all types. Unbeknownst to him, Lupe watched Mighty introduce himself to a group of werewolves in the crowd and shake each of their hands. She kept her eyes fixated on him for a moment before diverting her stare to another partygoer. Sonic stood by the snack table and laughed as his wife shared a private joke with him. She watched as the chipmunk whispered something in his ear that had in his stitches. The blue hedgehog was her target, now she just needed to wait for the right time to strike.

Upstairs, Silver and Shadow stood side by side as they surveyed their guests down below. Shadow leaned his arms against the railing, growing impatient by the minute. Mighty passed through the bustling crowd of guests, watching each individual like a hawk. "You seem rather confident that Mighty will succeed in his mission," Shadow spoke, observing him from above.

Silver crossed his arms over his chest, remaining stoic. "Mighty is an expert and powerful witch, motivated to expose evil and protect his flock," Silver rebutted. "He knows if he does not succeed, then we'll be forced to kill everyone here to figure out who is a snake in the grass…He does not want that to happen."

Mighty continued to prowl the crowds, looking for any sort of clue that would lead him to a follower of Infinite. He stopped in the middle of the dance floor when he spotted a grey-bluish wolf in a revealing black cocktail dress, leaning up against one of the walls. Her eyes seemed to be quite fixated on someone in particular. Mighty followed her gaze picking up that she was staring hard at Sonic. Suddenly, her eyes parted from the blue hedgehog and locked with his. The two stared each other down for a moment far apart in the crowded room.

The longer he stared at her, the more he began to pick up some sort of dark energy surrounding her person. There was something incredibly dark and twisted with her aura, which led him to believe she had some sort of connection with Infinite—not to mention she also adorned a necklace with a shard of that same piece of crystal that Aurora had been gifted.

After a few moments, Mighty looked away and up at Shadow standing on one of the balconies. Mighty nodded his head, signaling he had found someone worthy of interrogation. Shadow met his gaze and gave a curt nod, picking up on their silent exchange. The ebony hedgehog looked in the crowd at the person Mighty had signaled his attention to. Once he spotted the target, he turned to look at his brother. "That girl, the one up against the wall," he gestured with a head bob. "She's one of them," he announced quietly.

Silver looked in the direction, studying the girl carefully. She didn't seem alarmed that her cover was revealed; instead, she sauntered around the dance floor, past other guests in no hurry. Shadow began to head for the stairs to confront her, but Silver was quick to stop him. "Shadow," he spoke, causing him to halt in his tracks. "Remember the deal we made…"

Shadow grumbled under his breath as he was reminded. "Well, if you want the first crack at our foe, be my guest."

Silver signaled Mighty in the crowd, beckoning a finger before nodding his head in the direction of Lupe. Immediately, Mighty picked up on his cue and headed straight for Lupe to retrieve her.

Downstairs, Mighty made his way through the crowd and gently tapped the wolf on the shoulder. The greyish wolf spun around to face her admirer. "How can I help you?" she asked innocently.

"My name is Mighty," he introduced sticking out his hand for her to shake. Lupe extended her hand out and shook it in return out of courtesy. However, the moment their hands made contact, Mighty felt the coldness that came with her exchange. He had never felt anything so cold, iniquitous, puissant, and arcane in his entire life. It almost felt draining to keep skin-to-skin contact. It was as if his life was being drained away by her touch. Mighty pulled his hand away immediately feeling relief from their greetings.

"My name is Lupe," she smiled fraudulently, picking up that he had sensed something about her.

"Lupe, huh?" he parroted. "Well, Silver would like to have a word with you," he began. "He's very interested in getting to know you more."

Lupe raised a brow, intrigued by the invitation. "Oh, really? Is he too shy to come down and use a one-liner on me," she joked.

Mighty shook his head and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, it's nothing of that sorts. It's more business talk than anything…"

Lupe's expression peaked in interest. "How intriguing, lead the way."

•~•

After getting her to commit to the meeting, Mighty escorted Lupe upstairs. He opened the study doors allowing the female wolf in first. Lupe entered the study with a glass of champagne in hand and looked at her surroundings with scrutiny. Inside the large study, Silver stood at the center of the room waiting for their arrival. Figuring this was some sort of trap, Lupe decided to continue playing along feigned ignorance. "Mighty tells me you requested a private audience?" she asked, acting surprised.

"Private, yes," Silver confirmed. "You see, we've come to realize that you may not be just who you say you are."

Lupe smirked coyly. "And who do you think I am then?"

"You're the high priest for Infinite," Mighty answered bluntly.

Lupe shot him a piqued expression. "You seem to have made up your mind about me quite quickly." She began to saunter around the large study, glancing at the many books presented on the shelves along the walls. "You act like you had no part in this, but clearly you must have known your girlfriend was involved in this, too." Mighty scowled just from hearing her mention his deceased girlfriend. "I wonder if Infinite will show you appreciation by appearing as your dead girlfriend," she smirked.

Giving no other exchange, Mighty outstretched his hand, sending a powerful mind attack in her direction. Lupe cried out, feeling the infliction hit her. She clutched the sides of her head momentarily but was quick to send out her own mind attack, stretching her right arm in his direction. Suddenly, Mighty felt the repercussions and groaned feeling his brain attacked.

Watching their feud, Silver quickly intervened. "That'll be all. Both of you!" he bellowed. Both Lupe and Mighty ceased their attacks and glared at each other from across the room.

Lupe wiped the blood trickling down one of her nostrils with the back of her arm and Mighty did the same, wiping away some blood from his own bleeding nose. Silver stood right in front of Mighty's viewpoint of Lupe, looking stern in his expression. "Your services are done here, Mighty. I've got this under control now," he promised.

Backing away hesitantly Mighty turned on his heel and left the study, leaving Silver and Lupe alone. Once the door was closed, the silver vampire pulled out a handkerchief from the inside of his suit and flicked it out. "Here," he said, and extended his arm out with a peace offering.

Lupe accepted the gesture and took the handkerchief and blotted up the residue of the blood left on her face. "Take a seat," Silver offered, gesturing towards the two sofas. Lupe did as he commanded and graciously sat down on one of the sofas. Silver mimicked her actions, sitting on the sofa across from her, leaving just a coffee table between them. "Now, let's start again."

•~•

Downstairs at the party, Blaze wandered over to one of the tables set up for mingling, when she spotted Mighty downing a drink. The armadillo looked slightly peeved as he reached for one of the waitresses carrying a tray filled with more alcoholic beverages. He swapped out his empty glass with a full one as the waitress passed his table. Frowning by his apparent emotional drinking binge, Blaze approached him. "How did everything go up there?" she questioned, standing by his side.

He threw another drink back and swallowed the burning substance. "Don't know. Silver's still up there cutting a deal," he surmised with a careless shrug. "Either way, I really don't have much to talk about right now."

She knew Mighty in moments of frustration or sadness, didn't care much to share his feelings. He was more the type to do so once he had cooled off. It was something Blaze had learned in their friendship over time. "That's fine, but I still want to thank you for helping my family. It means a lot. You've done so much to help us."

He smiled weakly. "Of course. I'm just trying to keep my people and all supernatural children safe from harm by this… _thing_."

Blaze rubbed his arm reassuringly. "Talk to you later once you've cooled off?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, just give me a couple of hours."

•~•

Back upstairs; Silver was getting down to business with Lupe. He picked up on the hint of red peeking out on her right shoulder. "You hold that tattoo, as well?" he began.

Lupe looked to her tattoo that was slightly exposed by her sleeve. She moved the fabric to cover it up. "Yes, I do. What does it matter to you?"

"What does it mean?"

"Those that bear it, show their true allegiance to him," she explained. "It's a symbol of our devotion to his great power."

" _He_ ," Silver repeated in intrigue. "Tell me what it wants," he demanded softly.

"It has laid dormant for quite awhile so it needs to feed," Lupe answered.

"The poor thing," Silver noted dryly. "You know, I understand it has a penchant for innocent children."

She chuckled lowly, crossing one leg over the other. "Only as hors-d'oeuvres. It prefers the power channeled by the death of someone like you," she motioned. "You know, old, ancient, imbued with magic," she listed. "However, it doesn't need to feed on you, your brother, or your precious niece. Sonic will do nicely, too," she alluded.

Silver raised a brow, standing to his feet. "And why would I give you Sonic?"

Lupe watched as he wandered over to a drink station and popped open a bottle of scotch. "As patriarch, I'm sure you'll make the right decision on your family's behalf. "That and I have a weapon that can take down an Original," she teased.

His halted his actions momentarily, his amber eyes hardened on her. "I don't believe you."

"Oh yeah?" Her hand reached into her clutch pulling out a small dagger with a green vine with large thorns entwined around the blade. Silver stared at it as she held it up for him to see. "Infinite helped me create this when Shadow spilled some of his blood from that fight the other day. It will take down you or your brother with ease, care to test it?"

He scoffed at her. "So what, one measly weapon? The moment I get my hands on it, it'll be all over. You won't be able to use it against me."

She smirked coyly, tucking it back inside her clutch. "Who said I only had one weapon that I could use to kill you. I only brought one with me to the party, but I have many more hidden away for safekeeping."

"Clever girl," he commended, upholding his unruffled demeanor.

"Now, since you've been so sure of yourself, I'll also be taking Mighty Armadillo as a show of good faith."

Silver finished pouring them both a glass of scotch. "Mighty?" he repeated in befuddlement.

Lupe stopped in front of one of the large windows looking out onto their large porch down below. She watched other party guests dance, talk, and drink the night away. "Sonic was business, but Mighty is personal. He's done nothing but tries to stop Infinite in its tracks and now it's rather angry."

Silver walked over and handed her one of the glasses of alcohol, which she graciously accepted. "Unfortunately, if I betray Mighty, the covens will declare war on my family."

She took a sip of her drink. "Well, at least with the covens, it's a fight that you have a chance at winning. Regardless, my terms are set: Mighty now, and Sonic later, and your family will be spared. So, what do you say, Silver? Do we have a deal?"

While he held his own drink in his hands, his right index finger tapped the glass in thought. It all sounded way too good to be true, and even if he truly considered it, could he really give up Mighty—someone who had done nothing but help them in their time of need? Coming out of his thoughts, he hummed in contemplation. "I must say, it is a compelling offer…Murder in exchange for clemency. If only I could believe that you would uphold your end of the bargain."

Lupe grinned knowingly. "You're even more perceptive than your reputation suggests."

He smirked in arrogance. "I've been around for quite some time. I'm no fool, now what does it truly want?"

She walked closer towards him, swaying her hips with each stride. "Why freedom, of course. A spirit cannot manifest the true depths of its power without a good sacrifice."

He remained unfazed as she stopped just inches in front of him. He kept his eye contact locked with hers. "And in what fairy tale do you think that I would allow that to happen?"

Carefully, she laid down her glass on a nearby ledge and looked up at him dignified. "My offer was a courtesy, Silver. Infinite will take what it wants. Sonic and Mighty will be ours regardless, but if you insult us further, we will take your entire family," she warned. Silver only smirked, infuriating Lupe even more. Clearly, he wasn't fazed by her dire threats. "You still doubt our power, don't you? I'm telling you right now, Infinite will not be stopped."

Growing angered by her maddening voice, he had heard enough. Silver smashed his whiskey glass against the side of her head and sent Lupe flying towards the floor. The wolf landed on her side with a thud. Wincing from the stinging pain, she touched the side of her face, seeing more blood drizzling down from her temple—bits of glass embedded in her face. "You bastard…"

Silver bent over and grabbed her by the back of her hair and lifted her off the floor with ease. "Ahh!" she hissed, feeling him grip her locks tightly. She tried to undo his powerful hold on her hair, but it was no use. "Unhand me, you heathen!"

"I'm not finished with you yet…"

Forcefully, Silver guided Lupe out to the balcony and pushed her up against the railings as he continued to hold the back of her head with one hand. "Ladies and gentlemen!" Silver announced loudly, gathering everyone's attention. The entire party ceased talking and all eyes flew to the balcony where the two stood in a spectacle. Two of those people happened to be Shadow and Amy who had been sharing a slow dance. They parted the moment they heard Silver's voice.

Shadow stared in awe. "…What in the hell?"

Amy squinted to get a better look at the female in his clutches. She placed a hand on his right arm. "Shadow, what is he doing?"

"Not a clue," he whispered back.

Once he had complete silence, Silver continued. "Ladies and gentlemen, we appear to have an errand girl of Infinite in our presence." He smashed Lupe face first into the iron railing making her cry out.

"You'll regret this, Original!" she spat, bleeding from her mouth. Guests downstairs gasped in surprised by Silver's sporadic brutality.

Downstairs, Blaze also happened to watch in complete horror at her husband's actions. She placed a hand to her chest as she watched him treat the unknown female like mere scum. "Silver, what are you thinking?" she whispered to herself.

Upstairs, Lupe wiggled in his grasp to try to break free. "Let me go, you wretched vampire!"

Silver ignored Lupe's complaints and kept his eyes on the crowd while he held her down. "She's a disciple of the very darkness that threatens to devour our city, your loved ones, and mine."

Suddenly, Silver lifted Lupe by the throat and held her out over the edge of the balcony, allowing her to dangle precariously high above. Lupe kicked her feet out, trying to find solid ground beneath her. "Now, whether or not you despise us, my family will do everything in its power to remove this scourge from our city. I recommend you do the same, or else…" he foreshadowed. In an instant, Silver's free hand struck through Lupe's chest cavity, making a ghastly crack that all heard down below.

The crowd gasped and screamed in horror as they watched Silver pry Lupe's beating heart out of her chest. While he clutched her heart, he released his hold on her throat, allowing her body to fall down below. Lupe fell onto the hard concrete beneath her, making a sickening crack.

Shuddering from the horrific sight, Amy turned her back on the scene and covered her face with her hands and leaned on Shadow for support. Shadow wrapped an arm around his wife, consoling her over Silver's violent act. At another section of the party, Blaze covered her mouth with her hand and backed away from the sight.

Silver held up Lupe's once beating heart and allowed it to fall out of his hand and splat onto the ground below him. Many of the guests seemed extremely disturbed by the sight and began to leave the party.

•~•

Turning to head back inside the study, Silver was not surprised to see both Sally and Sonic in wait for him. Sonic grabbed Silver by the collar and pulled him close to his angered expression. "What the hell, man!?" he seethed through grit teeth. "Why'd you kill her, she was on our side!"

Silver remained unperturbed by Sonic's violent shaking. "Were you not listening? She was a follower of Infinite," he answered.

"That can't be right!" he bellowed. "She was the one who was trying to help me vanquish him from my body," he argued. "She was mistaken for her crimes!"

"Once again, you're wrong, hedgehog." Silver pried Sonic's hand off his expensive tux. "In actuality, she was coming for both you and Mighty," he pointed. "In fact, she was bargaining your life as a sacrifice for Infinite just minutes ago," he elaborated.

"What?" Sally gasped. "I-I can't believe it…"

He glared in her direction, irritated by her doubts about his word. "But it is," he shot back. "The only reason she was even here tonight was to take out your husband. She was stalking him tonight as food for her savior."

Sonic's countenance dwindled. "I just…I trusted her."

"I'm sorry for the sight you saw tonight. I didn't intend to have it go that way, but she gave me no other choice." He smoothed out the wrinkles in his tux. With that, he turned on his heel and left them to their thoughts.

•~•

After his conversation with Sonic and Sally, Mighty found Silver washing off his hands in one of the bathrooms downstairs. All the guests at the party had left, and there was trash all over the backyard and inside the house. "That was one hell of a show you put on, Silver…One hell of a show."

Silver turned off the faucet and turned to look at him, showing no signs of remorse or regret. "I did what I had to and you're quite welcome. After all, Lupe wanted you dead."

Mighty crossed his arms over his chest. "So, am I supposed to thank you?" he asked with a shrug.

"An alliance between you and I is essential. This enemy is a dark force. It can't be bargained or reasoned with. I don't bargain anymore and I'm done with reason," he argued, trying to get his point across.

"If that's what you believe will work, fine. Just a heads up though, I think you need to speak to your wife. She seemed pretty upset with your little show back there," he suggested before walking off.

•~•

Following his suggestion, Silver searched for his wife throughout the house. Eventually, he found her in his bedroom, along with Amy consoling her near their fireplace. "What's all this, then?" he questioned, staring at the strange scene presented before him.

"You really can't fathom why Amy's in here trying to calm me down after what I just saw?" Blaze snapped in irritation towards her husband.

Silver seemed rather taken aback from her reaction, he knew she'd be upset, but he had no idea she'd be this furious. She had seen him slaughter many people since they had been together. So what made her feel these emotions? "I don't understand," he mumbled, furrowing his brows together. "What's so different about this time?" he asked stepping further into the room.

"You looked like an absolute monster up there, that's what," she asserted. "That girl may have been an enemy, but there was no need to make some sort of sick show out of her exposure and death. It's something I'd never expect to see you do. You're better than that, Silver!"

Realizing this may be a conversation that the two would like to share in private, Amy awkwardly backed up. "Uh, I'm going to let you two talk this out on your own…" Quickly, Amy backed out of their bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Now in private, Silver vented his frustration. "Look, I thought you realized this before you married me, but I've always been a monster!"

Blaze shook her head, denying the possibility that he might be right. "No, you're wrong…"

"Perhaps in your lifetime I haven't always been, but long before you were even thought of existence, this is who I was. I tried to tell you that I was years ago after my mother exposed my true persona. Remember, I had wanted my darker self locked away behind that damn red door…"

Blaze bowed her head, trying to reason his decision to embrace the darker side she had thought he had put behind him. "I-I just don't understand why you're letting that version of yourself out now…I thought we had worked through putting that other side of you to rest."

"We did at one point, however, I brought this side out because of Faith," he began. "Faith looks up to Shadow as a role model, a protector, and as someone who can do no wrong in her eyes. Shadow has always been more monstrous in his lifetime than me, but he can no longer be that person in front of his daughter," he explained. "That's why I'm willing to be the monster he can no longer be, in order to keep her and the rest of us safe," he finished justifying.

Blaze crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "You know I don't like this side of you, Silver," she scolded. "You truly believe this is what is needed to accomplish protecting our family?" she challenged.

He nodded confidently, staying stoic as she stood before him. "I do, Blaze."

Feeling her heart sink by his answer, her countenance dropped. Blaze ran a hand down her hair. "I have to be honest with you right now, because you are my husband, and we have shared all our secrets with each other throughout our relationship. However, I don't think you're going to enjoy hearing what I'm about to say."

Silver remained composed, swallowing the lump in his throat. He was prepared to hear some brutal honesty. "Go on then."

"You used to use violence only as a last resort—something you'd apply to protect your loved ones, the defenseless, or to defend yourself. Yes, perhaps that girl needed to die, however, I don't think it needed to be broadcasted to everyone attending our party. You lowered yourself to their level with your actions tonight. And to be honest, I'm quite terrified at the person I'm looking at right now," she finished; feeling tears well up in her eyes.

Silver felt his heart shatter at the moment. Never had he intended to frighten his wife or make her feel fearful of him, but this was something he knew, deep down, whether he liked it or not, that had to be done. "I'm sorry you feel that way," he replied softly. "But if you expect me to say I'll cease this type of behavior, you're mistaken. This is what I have to do now."

Once again, that was not what she wanted to hear. Right now, this was breaking her heart. Blaze wrapped her arms around herself and ambled slowly towards the other side of the room. "You know, I heard what you had considered doing the other night," Blaze mentioned, confusing Silver even more.

He watched as she walked over to her dresser and pulled out her pajamas for the night. "What exactly did you hear?" he questioned.

She gathered her clothes up into a pile in her arms, nestling them against her chest before turning to look at him. "I heard you _considered_ killing those innocent children to stop the spell from hurting Faith."

There was no point in denying the claim. After all, it happened to be true, no matter how fucked up it sounded. "You're correct, I did consider it, and if it came down to it, I would have done it."

Blaze closed her eyes momentarily; blinking away the tears ready to pour from her eyes. From all the things she had heard Silver admit tonight, it absolutely disgusted her. She could feel her stomach churn just at the thought of Silver slaughtering children just to keep his family safe. "I can't do this anymore," she mumbled in a near whimper, trying to stifle her distress.

Silver's ears lowered, hearing his wife so crestfallen by his admittance. "…Blaze," he called out. Silver watched as she fled past him and towards their bedroom doors. "Where are you going?"

She rested her hand on the handle of their door. "To the guest bedroom. I don't think I can sleep in here tonight," she answered. With that, she opened the door and closed it behind her leaving Silver feeling devastated.

•~•

After their argument, Silver headed outside to see what his younger brother was up to. He spotted Shadow knelt down in the backyard, hovering over the bloodstain where Lupe's body had laid on the concrete. Shadow had a bucket of soapy Clorox water next to him, along with some gloves, and a hard brush to scrub away the stain.

Shoving his hands into his trouser pockets, he stopped just behind the ebony one. "Where's Lupe?"

Frowning, Shadow rose to his feet slowly from his crouched position. "Oh, I don't know?" he started off sarcastic, "Currently burning in a dumpster!" he screamed irately.

Scoffing, Silver turned his back on Shadow, knowing he was about to get an earful from his younger brother. He had already heard enough from Blaze and didn't need a revival. He sighed dully, "Here we go…"

Shadow marched up behind him. "I'm quite confused tonight with the events that played out," he started. "I was told to avoid bloodshed but suddenly you became the town executioner! What the hell were you thinking?"

"—Just let me handle this," Silver assured calmly.

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest. "And why exactly should I do that?"

His amber eyes bore into his ruby ones. "Faith," he answered simply.

Shadow shook his head. "You see…it's precisely because of _her_ that I have to assert my involvement. So, _brother_ , tell me what you've learned from this witch."

Silver picked up one of the abandoned glasses on one of the many party tables. "This thing wants to be reborn," Silver began. "This morning, Mighty said that whenever it resurfaces, it does so in four distinct locations. I can't tell why."

"—It's looking for something and I'm pretty sure we have one of them," another voice chimed in. The two brothers looked towards Amy who walked towards them.

"What do you mean?" Silver inquired.

"I just went to help clean up the study and found an empty box tossed on the floor. Whatever was inside is gone." She handed the antique looking box over to Shadow. "Any idea what was inside?"

Shadow blanched as he looked at the empty containment. "My mother, she had a necklace that she held very dear to her. It was made out of skeletal teeth…"

Amy made a wry face at the description. "Um, ew!" she shuddered.

Ignoring her disgust, Shadow dragged a hand over his face starting to form the pieces together. "We've seen this time and time again. When a witch wishes to be reborn, its remains are required to complete the spell. What if that necklace was the remains of Infinite..?"

"So, was Lupe's true purpose of attending this party to get to his remains?" Silver surmised.

"Who took it though?" Amy wondered. "Lupe is dead and we would have found it on her if she had successfully taken it."

Shadow sighed. "One of her moronic followers probably snuck in while Silver was holding court with Lupe. She definitely had this all planned out."

"But why is she after a hideous necklace made out of teeth," Silver inquired, still lost on where this was going.

"You told me earlier this morning that Infinite always tries to return in four different locations. Perhaps those locations are near the remains she needs in order to revive?" he speculated. "Remember, one of the locations was our home."

Amy's eyes widened in panic at the thought. "Then he's already got one-fourth of bones claimed. Where the hell are the other three?"

Shadow looked out into the darkness of the woods behind their house. "Good question."


	37. The Ritual

**AN: ** Whoa, once again, sorry about the delays in updates. I promise you I realize there are still people eagerly awaiting updates but my life is hectic right now! This is a pretty exciting chapter and a lot is going on, so hopefully, you'll enjoy it. It's a long one!

•~•

The next day in town, Sally walked the busy streets of Station Square with two bags of groceries in hand. She smiled as she passed other locals happily going about their day and enjoying the gorgeous, crisp, weather. She came to an intersection crossway and stood with others waiting to cross the street. Once a few cars zipped passed, she stared in awe and horror when she spotted Lupe standing on the other side of the street in the crowd looking as lively as ever. The wolf didn't seem to notice Sally as she looked off in a different direction.

Sally backed up with her groceries in hand, bumping into a few irritated pedestrians before she booked it in the opposite direction of Lupe. She had just witnessed her death last night. How was it possible that she was now alive and well? Sally knew she needed to inform the others about this.

•~•

At Shadow's house, the ebony hedgehog sat on the couch in the living room with a glass full of blood in hand. He rotated the blood within the glass out of boredom before taking a sip.

Silver walked in the room and sniffed the air before appearing disgusted. "Ugh, O-positive? You heathen," he scoffed by his brother's taste in blood.

Shadow swigged his drink. "It happens to be my preference, brother."

Silver shrugged his shoulders and sauntered over in Shadow's direction. "It's revolting if you ask me…"

"Well, speaking of blood," Shadow segued. "There are some new rules in place."

Silver's ears perked. "Oh, really? What exactly are they?"

Shadow set his glass down on the coffee table in front of him. "No more bloodshed in the house where my daughter sleeps and plays," Shadow announced. "I am trying to protect her innocence as long as possible. She'll witness enough of it in her lifetime and I don't need her experiencing it in her youth," he explained.

Silver looked almost insulted by the idea he'd do such a thing in front of his niece. "I wasn't planning to," Silver replied. "She is my only niece and I want the best for her, too."

Shadow stood up, giving him a lingering glance. "Fair enough." He stopped in the doorway briefly. "Oh, that reminds me. How is Blaze coming along with that barrier spell?"

"I believe she's rather close to finishing it," Silver answered. "She's been working all morning on it."

Shadow sighed in annoyance. "You know, if you hadn't been so hasty to kill Lupe, we'd be dealing with the devil we know," he scolded passively.

"Spoken by the devil I know best of all," Silver countered.

"I still don't know if this idea to spell the compound is a very good idea," Shadow theorized. "Our enemies are going to seek to resurrect this monstrosity while we sit idly by."

"Not all of us will be confined here," Silver rebutted calmly.

Shadow blinked a few times in surprise. "What now?"

"I have a little errand to run," he replied simply, despite Shadow's irritation.

"And while you're cavorting all over town—I'm what, grounded?" he challenged.

Silver smirked, feeling slightly triumphant by his brother's disdain for his house arrest. "Essentially."

"Well, before you run off, can you pop down to the basement and see Blaze's progress? I need to fetch Faith for her lunch."

"Perhaps we should switch places on that request," he suggested uncomfortably.

Shadow raised a brow, surprised on the appeal. "Come again?"

"It's just," Silver started, "We had a bit of a falling out last night over the occurrence at the party. Blaze is not pleased with me at the moment and we're barely speaking," he admitted. "I'm trying to give her as much space as possible."

Shadow felt empathetic towards his brother's current predicament. "I see…" his voice trailed off momentarily. "Would you like me to speak to her on your behalf?"

Silver shook his head, denying his offer. "No, no, that'll be alright. I got my point across to her last night, but she's still processing it." He walked toward the staircase leading upstairs. "I'll fetch Faith for lunch," he quickly segued before heading off. Shadow watched his brother's form retreat upstairs. It was evident their argument had greatly affected Silver.

•~•

Meanwhile, upstairs, Faith sat in the attic going through old boxes of antiques, and knick-knacks stored up for safe keeping. She flipped through an old photo album with pictures of her father and uncle from many different decades in time. She smiled as she took in all the different fashion styles her father had picked up in the different time periods he had lived through.

"—You know," Silver announced, standing behind her, and slightly startling her. "I'm sure your father would rather not have you play in this musty old attic," Silver tsked playfully.

Faith craned her neck behind her and looked up at uncle as he walked over. "Why not?"

"Just because of all the dust, splinters, and bats," he listed with a nonchalant shrug.

"There aren't any bats," Faith laughed.

He grinned coyly. "I've seen no evidence that your father doesn't sleep up here hanging upside down," he cracked.

She giggled with him. "You're silly, Uncle Silver."

He walked over and lent out his hand. "Come along now. I'm going to whip up something for you to eat and make sure you're good and fed." Faith looked at his hand before placing it in his and allowing him to lead her downstairs.

•~•

At that same time, Shadow was downstairs in the basement checking in on Blaze's progress with her spell. The purple feline looked completely focused on her task at hand.

Blaze stood before a table with a spell circle drawn out on a blueprint of their house. Four candles surrounded each corner of the map laid out on the table and Blaze wafted a lit piece of sage that was slowly burning and creating a wave of smoke. Shadow studied her quietly for a moment before clearing his throat as he stood by the staircase. "How is the spell coming along, then?"

"Creating a strong enough barrier spell to protect Faith and the rest of us inside these walls takes a bit of time," Blaze announced dully without much emotion in her voice.

Shadow picked up on her tone and took his position on one of the nearby walls and leaned up against it, continuing to watch her. "How long do you think you've been at this?"

"At least three hours. I almost have it though," she pledged. "Just give me another 20 minutes and I should be done."

"Alright," he replied. "Just don't wear yourself out."

"I won't," she responded impassively.

Pushing himself away from the wall, he approached her from behind. "It's not really my business, but I hear you aren't on good terms at the moment with my brother."

Blaze kept her focus on her spell, trying not to relive last night's events. Of course, Silver would discuss their argument with Shadow. She mentally cursed him for allowing others to know of their marital drama. "He confided in you, then?"

"Not really," he quickly clarified. "He didn't exactly give me any details, but just said you weren't happy with his behavior last night. He said you've barely uttered a word to each other all morning. I just want to make sure you're okay. You know I'm always here to lend an ear for venting."

"You know I love you Shadow, you are my brother-in-law after all. However, I don't know if I can quite trust you to discuss information about my marriage with your brother."

He walked around the side of her, finally forcing her to look at him. Blaze watched as he lifted his right hand in the air. "I promise that whatever you tell me I will keep completely undisclosed to everyone in our family, even my own wife," he pledged.

Blaze studied him carefully for deception. Normally, she trusted Shadow without a second thought, but thinking about venting her problems to him, made her second guess her trust. This was her husband's brother, after all, there was no telling if he'd end up just blabbing all the information he gathered from her and relayed it to Silver later. Shadow spotted her inner conflict and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Blaze," he spoke softly, taking her out of her rumination. "I _promise_ ," he emphasized sternly.

Blaze temporarily discontinued her boundary spell before looking towards the basement staircase. Fearing the possibility of someone, namely Silver, using his vampire hearing to eavesdrop, Blaze placed the palms of her hands together and closed her eyes. "Sil-en-ciol," she spoke, before wafting her hands apart. Shadow looked around them, noticing a strange opaque looking wall form, locking them within. "It' okay, it's just a spell I use to keep others from prying on our conversations. No one can hear what we say as long as we remain in this bubble," she explained.

"Clever," he observed. "Now, feel free to spout off."

"Silver is scaring me," she started.

"This is a first," Shadow replied. "Usually I'm the scary one," he chuckled.

"No, I'm serious, Shadow. Your brother has gone to some dark places with his actions and thoughts."

"Do you mean like what he did last night," he gathered. "Because if this is what your argument is all about, I too disapproved of his actions. I already had a word with him about it."

"—That's not all of it," she corrected. "I found out some things about him that made me look at him completely different."

"Like what?" he pressed.

"The night you went to free those kids from the ritual. I overheard Amy scolding Silver when Mighty and Amy were trying to figure out how to save you, Sonic, and the children from that spell. There was a brief moment where Silver considered killing those children to save you!"

Shadow seemed taken aback by the reveal. In his entire lifetime, Shadow had killed countless people throughout history. He had never discriminated against males or females, but the only people he had never killed were children. Since he had been beaten and abused by his father throughout his youth, he strayed from harming children. But now that he had a child of his own, he especially became revolted at the thought of harming a defenseless child. So the fact that his brother had toyed with the thought sickened him. "This can't be right…"

"It is," she confirmed. "Silver told me he was now willing to do any type of dirty work that not even _you_ could perform, in order to keep our family safe. He knows you can't be the monster you once were, especially now that you have a daughter."

"…Christ," he scoffed. "I'm sorry about this, Blaze."

"He told me this is what I'll have to expect from him from now on. Truthfully, I don't know if I can stomach it."

"I don't blame you," he concurred. "What do you plan to do now?" he asked, intrigued to see where her head was.

She folded her arms in front of her chest and her eyes fell off to the side. "I don't know…I love Silver, but this is not the Silver I fell in love with. When I met him, he was a gentleman and he had morals! Now, he's bringing out that monster he locked behind the red door because he thinks it'll keep us safe."

"I can try to talk to him, but I won't act like I've discussed any of this with you," he made explicit. "If he becomes suspicious that we talked, I'll lead him off that idea. I swore that I'd not leak any of this information to him."

She smiled weakly and opened her arms, beckoning him for a hug. Shadow extended his own arms out, allowing her to be encompassed by his friendly embrace. "Thank you, Shadow," she mumbled into his chest. "You're very sweet for allowing me to vent. I barely got any sleep last night thinking of everything that happened."

He patted her back. "I understand," he smiled softly. "Trust me, I've been in your situation before. I know the comfort of having someone to confide in."

•~•

After their private conversation, Shadow left Blaze down in the basement to finish her spell but spotted Silver in the kitchen with Faith. Silver was busy, staring out the window above the kitchen sink in a daze, while Faith munched happily away on her grilled cheese sandwich Silver had cooked up for her. However, the two looked in Shadow's direction as he entered the kitchen. "Hi, daddy!" Faith mumbled with a full mouth.

"Sweetheart, chew and swallow your food before speaking. It isn't ladylike," he corrected gingerly.

Faith blushed, forgetting about the manners she had learned. She finished swallowing the food and wiped her mouth with her napkin provided. "Sorry, I forgot." Shadow simply smiled at her before looking at his brother.

"I found Faith up in the attic, you know. She's quite curious about all the old antiques we've stored up there," he informed.

Shadow tilted his head as he looked at his daughter with feigned anger. "Oh, really now?" Faith played along with him and shot him an innocent smile.

"Yes, she especially enjoys looking through the old photo albums."

"I'm happy to hear you're fascinated with our past, but don't wander up there on your own, sweetheart. I don't want something heavy to fall on you. Next time, just ask and I'll join you up there."

"Okay," she mumbled.

Silver placed his hands on the back of the sink, leaning into it. "So, how's my wife doing down there?"

"She's fine," he replied. "It should be completed soon."

"Ah, I see," he noted, mulling in a moment of strained silence. Shadow picked up on his brother's contemplation before he saw him open his mouth to continue another thought. "…She didn't mention me at all downstairs, did she?" he asked quietly, trying to avoid Faith from picking up on their conversation.

"No, she didn't say anything at all," he lied smoothly.

Right on cue, Blaze entered the kitchen right in the middle of their conversation. She didn't even bother to acknowledge her husband standing near the sink as she sauntered over to Shadow. "It's finished," she informed. "Nothing can get in and nothing can get out. Well, except for my husband and myself," she finished before setting her eyes on Faith, who remained happily oblivious to the conversation.

"Fantastic," he smiled.

"No problem," she replied, continuing to ignore Silver in the background. Silver frowned by her disregard towards him. Her avoidance was really starting to grate on him. "Now, I'm going to meet with Sonic and Sally in town. It turns out it was a good thing we set up that boundary spell, Lupe is alive again," she informed quietly, trying to keep Faith from eavesdropping.

"Alive?" Shadow parroted in a whisper. "Did she use a body swap spell?" he inquired, thinking back to how his mother survived.

She shook her head. "No, apparently not. She's still in the same body, but I'm going to find her and get some answers."

"And you're absolutely sure you don't need my help?" Shadow questioned.

"I'll have Sonic and Sally with me so I'll be fine. Besides, we know she has more weapons that can kill you." Shadow and Silver watched as she strolled out of the kitchen, walking straight past Silver, acting as if he did not even exist.

Silver felt his heart sink by her treatment. His fists clenched up by his sides and he marched out of the kitchen before his emotions got the better of him. Shadow cringed as he heard the front door to the house slam shut. Faith turned around in her seat, alarmed by the loud slam. "Dad, what's wrong with Uncle Silver?" she asked sweetly.

Shadow walked over and stroked the top of her head. "He's been having a bit of a rough day, darling," he replied.

•~•

In the city, Silver wandered into Mighty's home and found him cleaning a rather large looking blade. As Mighty used a rag to wipe the residue of water off the side, he felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He sighed, knowing exactly who was hovering in the background. "You know, normal people knock on people's doors. They don't just let themselves in," he spoke aloud, allowing the unknown visitor to know he was aware of their presence.

"Then next time, perhaps you should actually _lock_ your front door," he replied passively.

He groaned. "What do you want, Silver?" he questioned, not in the mood to deal with the vampire.

Silver wandered further into the room, taking in his surroundings. "I wanted to see what you were up to and if you could use a hand," he answered.

"Nah, I'm good," he dismissed. "I'm working on witch business anyway."

"Well, that would make two of us then. We need a new strategy to keep Infinite at bay. Now, I've done a bit of reading of my mother's old journals, and I came across something that I believe may aid us in annihilating this entity from completely entering our world. It includes the ancestors," Silver alluded.

"Too bad your mother severed that link when she returned from the dead," Mighty reminded.

Silver tucked his arms behind his back. "I'm well aware, but my plan would involve creating a new link over to the ancestors. It'd be a way we could re-establish our connection to their afterlife."

He glanced over his shoulder briefly at the hedgehog, curious about his supposed master plan. "And what's that?"

"A ceremonial sacrifice. I believe it's called the Harvest Ritual," he specified.

Mighty spun on his heels to face Silver after hearing those words. "The Harvest Ritual," he parroted. "Are you insane?" his voice pitched.

Mighty's bewildered tone didn't faze Silver in the least. He knew this would be a controversial move, but it may very well be their only hope. "It would give you a great amount of power to possibly close any gateways to allow this creature in," Silver argued with composure.

"Silver, you have no idea what you're getting into. Don't talk about things you don't truly understand. If I were to do that, we'd have to sacrifice four young female witches for it to work. Most people I know aren't too keen to give up their daughters over to a sacrifice. Besides, it takes special preparation!"

"Then talk to Hendrix and demand it be done. I'm sure he could arrange it."

"—I'm not demanding anything!" he yelled with fervor. "Look, I'm only working with you because I want to defeat Infinite, all right? I don't want to start a war with the other covens." He took the blade he had been cleaning and tucked it away into a wooden box set on his table. Carefully, he picked up the closed box and placed it behind a glass cabinet. "Now just go," he urged.

Mighty walked out of the room and into his bedroom, to finish getting ready for the day. Silver watched as Mighty fled the room, but his yellow eyes wandered over to the cabinet where the blade he had cleaned was now stored. Carefully, he walked over and opened up the glass doors and took the box in his hands before zipping off.

•~•

Later, in their bedroom, Shadow found Amy sitting on the couch by the windows, working on her laptop to do research. "Afternoon," he announced entering the room.

Amy pulled her eyes away from the screen to give him her full attention. "Hey," she smiled. "What's up?"

"It's just Faith," he started and stood in front of her. "Silver found her up in the attic rummaging around through some old rubbish. She's restless, Rose…"

Amy sighed. "She's not restless, Shadow. She's bored," she corrected. "Most kids her age would be at school. They'd have friends to play with."

He tucked his arms behind his back and paced through the room. "Well, once Blaze and Mighty pick up on their lessons with her, she'll be more powerful beyond measure. She won't need friends, she'll be worshipped," he fantasized.

Amy watched her husband and shook her head by his ludicrous ideas. "She doesn't want to be worshipped, she just wants someone to play hopscotch with her."

Shadow wandered over to their balcony windows and drew back the curtains. He took a long gander out their window before replying. "She'll be above such things in no time." He reached out and pushed the doors open, allowing in the fresh air. "She will have enough power to protect herself from anything." He reached his right hand out and felt the invisible force of the boundary spell in place, preventing even himself from leaving. He frowned. "Eventually, we won't have to trap her in bloody boundary spells just to keep her safe…"

"Well, getting off topic for a few moments, I just wanted to thank you."

Shadow turned to look at his wife. "Thank me for what exactly?"

"I overheard what you were telling Silver earlier this morning about the new rules. You've done a great job in the past few years keeping violence away from this home. However, due to our current circumstance, I know violence in the household may come closer than we'd like. I know it's not in your nature to keep violence out of mind…"

"Well, we'll protect her innocence for as long as we can. You and I both know the importance of that."

•~•

At the abandoned church in town, Blaze, Sonic, and Sally all met in order to enact their master plan to capture Lupe. The blue hedgehog eyed a large wooden weaved circle lying on the center of the altar. He dusted off his hands after setting it down in a central place on the floor. "So, exactly what am I suppose to do again?"

"All you're going to do is stay in the circle. You are the bait," Blaze explained. "We're going to lure Lupe here to make her believe that I'm handing you over. The moment she steps inside the circle, use all that vamp speed to get out."

"So once Lupe is in the circle, she'll be trapped?" Sally asked, trying to follow the plan.

Blaze nodded with a smile. "Exactly. I already sent her a little message via magic, so she's already on her way here."

Sonic cracked his neck, trying to loosen up before their plan. "Boy, I don't know about you, but I'm kinda nervous," he chuckled.

"Don't be," Blaze affirmed. "I'm confident this is going to work."

•~•

Meanwhile, Mighty found himself at the witch cemetery after receiving a rather insistent phone call for him to get there. The armadillo strolled through the graveyard before entering a particular mausoleum to his left. He walked inside the dark but dimly lit building, noticing the few candles that had been lit for him. Eventually, he found Silver slouched up against one of the walls inside, staring at the wall in front of him.

"I do not like being summoned, Silver, you know tha-" Mighty stopped mid-sentence when he caught a gruesome sight down the small corridor of the building to his right. Lying supine on the floor of the mausoleum were four young girls of varying ages, all dead. His breath shuddered as he looked at the girls; each and every one of them had their throats slit. "No, no, no…"

Mighty glanced over to Silver who remained insouciant as he sat there, playing with a very familiar looking blade. In fact, it happened to be the same blade Mighty had been cleaning earlier that afternoon. Silver's right hand was bloody, evident of the murder he had committed as he twirled the knife against the stone floor, using the hilt to rotate it. "What did you do, Silver?"

"Four Station Square witches killed on consecrated grounds with a ceremonial blade," he replied relaxed before tossing the blade towards Mighty's feet. It made a bunch of clanks as it hit the floor at different points before settling.

"How did you know that was the correct blade to perform this ritual?" Mighty interrogated.

Silver finally looked in his direction, propping his arms over his knees bent in front of him. "I had done my research earlier that morning. I recognized it from the picture in the book I had read."

Mighty pressed his back against the wall and felt his legs give in. He slowly slumped down the wall, falling onto his butt. He shook with anger and sadness, feeling empathy for these four girls lost lives. The terror they must have felt as Silver abducted and then murdered them brutally. "Silver," he seethed. "This is not how you do it!" he shouted angrily. "There's a ceremony, then there's a ritual. The girls have to be selected!" he hollered with disappointment.

Growing irritated with his barrage of admonition, Silver got up to his feet and dusted himself off. He kept his back to Mighty before crossing his arms. "You'll find a way and then the girls will be resurrected," he replied self-possessed. Finally, he turned around and walked over to the shaken witch, looking down at Mighty, still remained on the floor. "Delay will only serve our enemy. So get moving."

•~•

It was nearly 7 PM and Shadow was growing quite impatient being in the dark with Silver's errand. The dark hedgehog sat on the sofa, glancing out the window to his left. His brother had yet to keep him informed of his little day time tasks and could only wonder if he was up to no good. He pulled his cellphone out from the inside of his leather jacket and began dialing.

Lying in bed, Amy stared at her laptop screen, lost in thought. She had done hours of researching, and emailing, doing anything to help her determine where the other bones might be hidden. Seeing her husband become unsettled, she closed the screen. "What do you think Silver is up to?" she pondered aloud.

Shadow lowered his cellphone after getting a busy tone. "No clue, but he isn't picking up his phone." He started dialing another number.

Amy watched as he held up the phone to his ear and got up to walk around the room in agitation. "Do you think he might be with Blaze? Maybe we should call him."

"I doubt he's with her." Shadow scoffed after hearing his voicemail recording. "No such luck," he replied, lowering his cellphone one more. "She's also not answering."

Amy sat upright and pulled her knees up to her chest while she watched her husband. He was worried about them, that much she could tell. "I'm sure they're fine. They're probably just busy," she assured, not feeling the panic like Shadow was at this moment.

He ran a hand through his quills. "You know, this is a fool's errand. We're not going to accomplish anything in this mess. I should be out there," he spoke, pointing towards one of the windows.

She raised a brow amused by his assertiveness. "So you can what? Dodge an evil ghost that wants you dead?" she shot back with a grin. "Come on, you're safer here," she argued softly.

"—You mean safe and entirely ineffective," he snapped at her.

Amy winced from his venomous tone. She moved her legs off the side of the bed, put the laptop down, and stood up. "Shadow, your daughter needs you here."

"No," he corrected. "My daughter needs Infinite to be purged from this Earth!"

Amy stepped closer to him, confused where all this anger was coming from. She crossed her arms over her chest, growing more insulted with his vexed tone. "Why are you yelling at me? I'm on your side…"

"—Cause I can't be trapped here!" he howled.

Amy rested a hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch slightly. "Shadow, it's okay. I know you're scared. I am too, but we have got to do everything we can to protect our daughter."

Shadow eased his temper, realizing how uncivil and brash he was behaving. He swallowed his emotions and unclenched his fists by his side. Shadow dropped his head, allowing it to rest on Amy's shoulder as she held him. "Forgive me, Rose. I-I didn't mean to shout at you. You're right, you know. I don't quite know what we're up against, which makes me all the more anxious."

•~•

Back with Mighty and Silver, the two moved the four girls outside the mausoleum for the ceremony to take place. The four girls were laid down on a large altar, side by side, and were prepared for the ritual to take place. Mighty shook nervously as he dipped his fingers into a bowl of his own blood and placed a marking on each of the girl's foreheads. Once he was done, he walked over to his working station, which was a small rock podium, with two large torches on either side of him.

Silver stood several feet behind him, watching him intently as he prepared for the spell. Mighty took his large grimoire and flipped through a few pages, trying to situate everything and make sure he was ready. He exhaled a shaky sigh, trying to shake off his nerves. "Okay…"

"Start," Silver commanded, growing impatient.

Mighty growled lowly under his breath from Silver's impatience. The armadillo lifted his hands up in the air and looked down at his book to recite the correct verses. "In order to be reborn, we must have a sacrifice," he spoke slowly. "In order to be reborn, we must have faith," he sighed and turned to look at Silver, hovering in the background. He lowered his hands. "Damn it, this isn't right! This ritual is supposed to be performed by an elder of the coven. I'm not an elder, Silver!" be bellowed in frustration.

"You can do this, Mighty." Silver approached the doubtful witch. "My own wretched mother recognized your mastery in magic," he reminded. "And let's not forget, you are one of the ones that Infinite is most terrified of. So whatever your doubts, whatever our differences, your gift is irrefutable."

Mighty felt that boost of confidence with Silver's words but it still didn't help with the fact that this was incredibly wrong to do in the first place. He could be severely punished, shunned, or exiled by his own coven if they found out about this type of sorcery he was about to perform. "Right…"

"Now," he began, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You will make this work," he pointed. "I know you can succeed."

•~•

Twenty minutes later, Lupe arrived right on time along with two henchmen to the church. One of the people with her was a staunch male hog while the other member was a male zebra. They stood on either side of her as they made their way down the long aisle. Blaze stood at the other end where she was approaching and had Sonic sprawled out, _unconscious_ , in the spell circle. "Finally come to your senses then?" Lupe questioned as she neared him.

"My apologies for how my husband handled things last night, I already got on him about his behavior."

Lupe reached for her neck, rubbing at it as she recalled last night's events. "Thank you, I didn't want it to go in that direction. Perhaps, our negotiation will go down easier."

"That's what I intend to have happened. However, I have to know—how exactly are you alive right now?"

She chuckled darkly. "Infinite protects those who are loyal followers. It made sure to take precautions before I attended that party. Turns out it was right to do so," she answered.

"I see," Blaze replied. "Well, I want our family to be unharmed. I don't have any real connection to Sonic. So he's yours," she offered.

The three evildoers stopped right in front of Sonic's unresponsive body. She looked down at him with suspicion before eying Blaze. "You know, I can't help but feel like this is a big, fat, lie…"

Sensing this plan was about to backfire Blaze went onto plan B. She stuck her right hand out towards Lupe, assaulting her with a mind attack. "Sally, now!" she commanded as he kept Lupe rendered.

Lupe clutched the sides of her head, howling out in pain. In the meantime, Sally charged out from her hiding place and used her werewolf speed and ran towards the two minions accompanying Lupe. She did a spin kick, whacking the male zebra on his backside. He tumbled forward from the powerful kick and fell into Lupe, accidentally knocking her inside the circle.

Seeing she was within it, Sonic's opened his eyes and zipped out fisting his fist through the staunch hog's chest, killing him. The zebra tried to crawl on his belly but Sonic grabbed him and ripped into his neck using his fangs and killed him. Blaze lowered her arm and smiled seeing her plan had succeeded. Feeling her attack had ceased, Lupe tried to move forward but found she was contained within the circle by an unseen force. "What the hell is this?"

Sonic wiped his bloody mouth using the back of his arm. "That's a shame, things don't look good for you," he tsked.

Lupe growled lowly by his arrogance. "You imbecile, you have no idea what you're dealing with here."

"A bit of bluster wrapped up in a protection spell?" Blaze surmised, not threatened in the least by the she-wolf. "I'm unimpressed."

She sunk to her knees, knowing she wasn't about to be going anywhere for a while. "Let me guess, you've got questions."

"Where are Infinite's three other bones?" she demanded.

"I'm not answering anything to you, bitch," she leered.

Infuriated with her tone, Blaze outstretched her hand sending another brutal magic affliction Lupe's way. The wolf cried out and clutched at her chest feeling a tightening sensation. After a few seconds, she stopped. "Magically induced cardiac arrest—just short of lethal," she replied impassively.

"Look, I honestly don't know anything!" she snarled.

Blaze narrowed her eye at her. "Then I guess that means I'm just going to have to use some force. She put both hands out towards her head and made her fingers clutch the air. Lupe cried out as Blaze incited an infiltration of her memories and thoughts, meticulously sorting through the data in order to find any clues. A word kept popping up as she searched Lupe's mind for answers.

 _Opiekun._

"Opiekun," Blaze murmured out loud. She ceased her mind infiltration. "What does that mean?"

Lupe panted, trying to regain her breath. "It means guardians," she answered. "That's all I know."

"I need to find out more, that's not going to help me." She lifted her arms preparing another attack but stopped when she heard Lupe chortle softly.

Lupe started to chuckle darkly, only further confusing Blaze. "Why are you laughing?"

She snapped her fingers and both Sally and Sonic collapsed, completely knocked out.

Blaze looked surprised by her ability to perform magic from within the circle. "What did you do to them?"

"Put them to sleep," she replied. "I need Sonic alive for the time being. Thanks for delivering him to me by the way! Now all I need is Shadow."

"Too bad you can't physically get to them," she reminded.

"I knew you figured you'd impressed me with your little boundary spell surrounding your house, but it won't withstand us," she warned.

Blaze crossed her arms over her chest. "I feel rather confident in the spell I put in place. No one will be able to get through," she asserted in fact.

Lupe looked down at her wristwatch. "I already sent some of my friends to stop by and pay a visit to your home. In fact, they're on their way right now."

Blaze refused to show her any emotion of concern or worry. There was no way they'd be able to get through. "I'm not worried."

"Oh wait, that's right," she spoke in feigned realization. "That boundary spell is anchored by something rather important to keep it from falling. Now, what was it again…" She tapped her chin in thought before smirking wickedly. "I remember now. It's your heartbeat, isn't it?"

Blaze blanched when Lupe picked up on the private details behind her impenetrable boundary spell. If her heart stopped beating then the spell would perish, allowing anyone the ability to access their home. It had been a rather draining spell to perform, but she didn't have any belief that anyone would be able to figure out the loophole to stop its effects. "How did you-"

Lupe outstretched her arms on either side of her, placing her palms on the invisible force field keeping her contained in the circle. She muttered an incantation, causing Blaze to watch in sheer horror, as Lupe was able to absorb the force field within her hands. Lupe rose to her feet and stepped outside the circle slowly. The feline took a precautionary step backwards but kept her eyes on the wolf in front of her.

"You've been holding back on me," Blaze surmised, not realizing Lupe would be able to absorb her basic boundary spell performed on containing her.

Lupe dusted her skirt off and placed her hand on her right hip. "You're right, I have. However, that spell you placed around your house is one I won't be able to override with Infinite's help. This one is all up to me," she warned.

Blaze looked around the room, looking for anything she could use to deter Lupe from harming her. She knew Lupe's goal would be to kill her in order to have her heart stop, so she'd have to fight for her life. Blaze stuck her hand out to her left, lifting an old religious statue and guided her hand, having the levitating object follow her. She chucked it in Lupe's direction with the intention to kill. Lupe, on the other hand, refrained from showing any concern and stuck her hand in the direction of its collusion and formed a fist, forcing it to shatter into a million pieces before it even made contact with her.

"My turn now, kitten," she grinned before aiming both her hands in Blaze's direction. Blaze was shoved violently backward by an unseen force, toppling her over the aisles of booths in the church. Blaze groaned, feeling the bruises begin to form on her back and sides after it made contact with the hard wooden seats.

She heard the relaxed clicks of Lupe's boots as she made her way towards her.

Painfully, rolling over to her side, Blaze was too late to get away in time just as she came face to face with the wolf standing above her. Lupe stretched out her left hand towards Blaze's chest, while her right hand slowly started to form a tight fist. Blaze could feel her magic working on her, as she felt a constriction around her heart. Blaze writhed under Lupe's attack feeling her ability to breath slowly render. Lupe only grinned watching the cat's life slowly wither away.

Then after a few more seconds, Blaze stopped failing around and remained very still on the ground with her eyes still wide open. Dispelling her attack, Lupe kneeled down and placed her index and middle finger on the side of the feline's neck, looking for a pulse. When she felt nothing, she hummed in victory and rose back to a standing position. She had won this round.

•~•

Back in the witch cemetery, Mighty continued trying to enforce the Harvest Ritual to gain a link back to the ancestors and to revive the four girls. Slowly, he dipped his index and middle finger into the basin of blood and brought it up towards his face. "Resurrect your memory," he spoke, flicking the blood from his fingertips out towards the girls. He raised his hand towards the sky. "I beseech you," he begged, starting to lose hope. His eyes directed from the sky towards the dead girls. "Accept this offering as a sign of our faith…"

A loud boom of thunder sounded off in the near distance. Silver looked back up to the sky, seeing the dark clouds that were not there moments ago, roll in rather ominously. The winds started to pick up around them and Mighty could feel the shrill chill in the air. He may have not been able to see them, but he could feel many strong presences around him, and they were not pleased. "Oh boy…"

Suddenly, Silver felt something wet running from both of his eyes. Was he crying? He didn't care about these girl's lives, all he cared about was connecting their link back to the other side. As he placed his fingers to one of his eyes, he rubbed at the wet essence cascading down his muzzle. When he pulled his fingers back to look at them, he realized it was blood. "Mighty…" The black and red armadillo spun around only to reveal he too was bleeding from his eyes. Silver held out his soiled fingers towards him, showing evidence of the blood. "What is this? Why are we bleeding?" he questioned in concern.

Mighty rubbed the blood away from his own eyes, growing anxious at this omen. "They're angry!" he shouted. "They won't accept the sacrifice! I told you I could not do this!"

While Mighty vented his anger towards him, Silver felt very lightheaded, almost as if someone was trying to hurt him with magic. He looked around, seeing no one in sight, but eventually fell to his knees feeling weakened. "What's happening?" he mumbled.

Mighty paced back and forth in front of Silver, not recognizing his growing ailment. "They hate you and now they hate me for helping an evil, blood-sucking, vampire," he rambled.

CRACK!

Mighty turned to look at Silver just as he caught sight of his neck being snapped before him. His body dropped to the floor, dead for the time being. Realizing this was the ancestor's doing, Mighty panicked. "Look, I'm sorry!" he pleaded towards the sky. A loud boom of thunder shuddered around him. "I promise that I will never do this again, but please, just accept my offering," he begged. More thunder and lightning rumbled and roared around him. This was bad and he hoped to God that the ancestors will cave into his demands.


	38. Close Call

•~•

Back with Sonic, Sally, and Blaze, the blue hedgehog rose off the ground groggily after being knocked out. He ran a hand over his quills, trying to gain his bearings. As he looked to his left with his vision clearing, he spotted Sally starting to stir. "Sal?" he mumbled.

"Sonic, what happened?" his wife mumbled as she lifted herself off the floor.

Sonic got up to his feet and wandered over towards her. "Lupe knocked us out, then she started to fight-" He stopped midsentence when he spotted Blaze lying on the floor unconscious, and the wicked witch nowhere in sight. "Crap!" Sonic knelt down by Blaze's side and felt her pulse, but felt nothing in return.

"Is she dead?" Sally questioned.

He put his head to her chest, listening for a heartbeat. "She's not breathing," he replied.

"You have to do something, Sonic!" Sally pleaded.

"Here, prop her up for me," he instructed. Sally followed his instructions and held Blaze in her arms in a sitting position. Once she was upright, Sonic bit the side of his wrist and placed it against her mouth. "I hope we're not too late…"

The blood seeped into her open mouth and the two waited patiently, hoping they hadn't been knocked out long enough for her to be revived. Thankfully within a minute, the female cat gasped and thrashed in Sally's grasp as she came back to life. "Thank Chaos," Sonic mumbled in relief.

Blaze looked back at Sally a bit disoriented with her surroundings. "Hey, are you alright?" Sally questioned with concern.

"What happened to me?" she panted.

"You died, but Sonic was able to revive you in time," Sally answered.

She felt her heart drop by those words. "How long was I out for?"

"A few minutes at best," Sonic guessed. "I'm not sure, I was out much longer than you were."

"If my heart stopped then the boundary spell must have fallen. We have to go," she urged. Sally helped the feline to her feet, but she was still a bit shaken.

Sonic assisted Blaze and put an arm over his shoulder. "Why, what's going on?"

"I had a boundary spell linked to my heartbeat placed around our house this morning. It kept anyone from getting inside to protect Shadow and Faith, but because my heart stopped it dispelled it from working properly. Lupe and her people are probably there right now, trying to get Shadow!"

Blaze rushed towards the nearest exit but found herself propelled backward by a strong force. Her body flew in the air, but Sonic caught her before she could hit the ground. He lowered her back on her feet once she was stable again. Sonic looked back towards the exit in bewilderment. "Whoa, what gives?"

Sally walked over and reached her hand out, suddenly feeling some sort of invisible barrier. "Looks like we're the ones trapped now."

Blaze kicked at some debris on the floor out of frustration. "No, damn it!" she cursed. "Lupe must have done the same thing I did with my barrier spell to us. She's purposely trapped us in her because she needs you, Sonic!"

"She might have me trapped here for the moment, but there's no way I'm going down without a fight."

"That's not all of our worries. She's probably trying to capture and contain Shadow this very moment," Blaze theorized. "Sadly, they're on their own for the time being…"

•~•

At that same time, back at Shadow's estate, Amy had gotten dressed in her PJ's along with Faith. Amy took Faith's hand in hers and led her upstairs to their bedrooms. "Off to bed then?" Shadow called up to them as they ascended the staircase.

Amy stopped momentarily and smiled down at him. "I'm just tucking her in for the night," she answered. "Afterward, I figured you and I could _watch a movie_ ," she hinted with a subtle wink.

Shadow caught on to her hidden meaning and smirked, growing excited on the prospect. The two of them had come to use that term when they wanted to get intimate with one another. The phrase had come into existence when the two realized they could never get through with watching a movie together without becoming sexually active. It had eventually become almost a running gag, and they had kept the tradition up over the years. "Oh, so that's the type of night it's going to be?"

Faith stuck her lower lip out in a pout as she looked back and forth between her mother and father. "A movie," she whined. "I wanna watch a movie, too!"

Amy smiled down at her. "Honey, this isn't any type of movie you'll be interested in," she dissuaded. "It's kind of a grown-up movie."

"It's not fair. I wanna join in, too!"

Amy patted the top of her head. "We'll watch a family movie tomorrow night, all three of us," she assured.

Suddenly, something sent a shiver down Shadow's spine. Sure there was a storm brewing outside, but he couldn't shake off that he felt something dark among them. Feeling a pang of his heightened sixth sense, Shadow rushed up the stairs when he realized what was coming. "Rose move!" he shouted.

Amy looked at him baffled by his sudden panic, just when a large silver gorilla snuck up on her and snapped her neck. Faith screamed in horror as she watched her mother tumble down the stairs dead before her very eyes. The gorilla reached for Faith, but Shadow got to her in time before she could be snatched. He picked her up into his arms and leaped backward, landing back down at the bottom of the stairs with a graceful land.

A female balefully laughed in the background and he spun around with his daughter in his arms to face the enemy. Faith hid her face in her father's chest, still shaken by seeing her mother murdered in front of her. Amy would come back eventually, but Faith didn't quite understand how that worked just yet. Shadow glared as he watched Lupe come into their front door with ease along with a pack of her goons. "Impressive boundary spell," she cackled sardonically. "Unfortunately, it only lasts as long as the witch who cast it is alive," she announced.

Shadow's countenance dropped to dread. "What did you do to Blaze?" he barked.

"I killed her," she answered simply.

Shadow looked down at his daughter whimpering and shaking in his arms. He knew if he had to fight, he wouldn't be able to properly do so without having to look out for his child as collateral damage. Taking a quick look around, he spotted the coatroom near the front door where the intruders had come inside. He backed up, holding Faith securely in his arms and quickly placed her inside the coat closet, watching her eyes open and widen in fear at his actions.

"Daddy!" she cried out, outstretching her arms towards him.

"Stay in here, sweetheart," he urged before closing the door shut. He pressed his back against it, as the set of witches encroached towards him.

"We already have one half of you," Lupe informed. "Sonic has already been detained, now all we need is you to complete the sacrifice."

Shadow's fists tightened at his sides. "Like hell, I'm letting you take me." With that, he rushed towards the group of brainwashed soldiers. One of the witches went to extend their arm out towards Shadow to do a counterattack, but Shadow was too swift. He sunk his fangs into the poor male's throat, ripping out a large chunk in return. Blood oozed down his muzzle before he spat out the bits of flesh and blood to the floor.

Another witch used a large sledgehammer to whack Shadow from behind, but Shadow sensed the oncoming attack and caught the upper half of the weapon before it could make contact with his skull.

With great precision, Shadow used the man's own weapon against him and swung him using the weapon and sending him flying. He hit one of the walls of the living room, before falling onto the floor unconscious. Seeing he had two witches down for the time being. He broke the sledgehammer in half, chucking the remains in two different directions. Lupe realized they were losing their battle and decided she would have to use Faith as leverage. She marched towards the closet door, while two other witches charged at Shadow to keep him pre-occupied.

The two men wrestled him, grabbing him by the arms, at different points of his body, hoping to restrain him. Shadow struggled in their hold briefly until he realized what Lupe's goal was. His eyes widened and he bucked off the remaining witches with a roar, sending them flying in different directions. "Don't you go near my child!" he shouted rushing towards Lupe before feeling something plunge into his back.

Shadow cried out feeling the daggered wooden piece from the broken sledgehammer bury within his back. "Gah!" He dropped to his knees, momentarily stunned.

Lupe turned around and outstretched a hand towards him. Shadow bowed his head, succumbing to the powerful mind attack. Lupe was bursting thousands of brain vessels in his brain, giving him multiple aneurysms. "I have to admit, it's a turn-on to see a male so gung-ho about protecting his kid. It's a shame you have to die tonight." She sauntered towards him, stopping just a foot away from him. "However, Infinite is going to have a feast tonight when we sacrifice the whole family." Shadow lifted his head, bearing through the pain as he looked up at the wolf. His eyes flashed yellow, as he tapped into his werewolf form. "I know your daughter will make an excellent meal."

Feeling her power weaken by her distraction of boasting, Shadow carefully reached behind him and reached for the stake still plunged within his back. With super speed, he grabbed it and plunged the stake into Lupe's gut, driving it deeper before she could react in time. Lupe cried out, gagging on her own blood running from her mouth. Shadow glared into her eyes, before standing upright to her height. With his free hand, he extended outward to his side before violently bringing it back towards Lupe's head, decapitating her in one swift movement. Her head flew off into another direction, sending blood splatter everywhere.

Rising to his feet, Shadow looked around him, staring at all the bodies, blood, and body parts around him. He had done quite the number on these witches and cursed at himself for being a hypocrite at his own newly established rules he had set in place earlier this morning. Shadow rushed towards Amy's limp body, still knocked out from her broken neck. He lifted her slightly and patted the side of her face. "Rose, C'mon, wake up."

Amy stirred in his arms, fluttering her eyes open. "…Shadow?"

He smiled down at her, relieved to see her awake. "Are you okay, love?"

She reached for her neck, rubbing it tenderly. She noticed Shadow's bloody appearance and blinked in alarm. He looked like he had gone on a killing spree. "What happened?"

Shadow helped lift her up to her feet, so she was standing. He guided her towards Faith's hiding place. "Lupe and her minions attacked us. They were coming for me but I was able to stop them."

Her eyes widened realizing she didn't see their daughter anywhere in sight. "Where's Faith?"

"It's okay, I protected her. She's in the closet. However," he paused momentarily, looking like he had failed greatly. "She saw some _things_ that I wish she hadn't…"

They stopped and Amy took a look at the grotesque scene around them. There was blood all over the marble floors and walls. It looked like a war scene with the bodies scattered throughout different parts of the house. Her voice trembled from the sight, "Jesus, Shadow…"

"I promise that I'll fix this," he pledged.

The two wandered over to the closet and Shadow opened it, making sure both he and Amy were blocking her view of looking at the war scene in their living room and entryway. Faith was curled up in a fetal position, with her eyes shut tight. Shadow placed a hand on her back, careful not to startle her. "Sweetheart, it's us."

She opened her eyes hesitantly, surprised to see her mother alive and well. "Mommy!" she screeched, leaping up into her arms.

Amy coddled her in her arms. "Are you okay, baby?"

She nodded slowly. "I thought you were dead."

Amy smiled and shook her head. "No, baby. I'm fine," she assured.

"What happened to all those bad people?" she asked curiously.

"They're all gone," her father explained. "I took care of them." Shadow reached out and cupped the side of her face as he looked into her eyes. Faith stared back into his red ones, just as she saw them begin to dilate. "Now, I need for you to go to sleep," he compelled softly.

Feeling hypnotized, Faith felt her eyelids grow heavy and within seconds she was out cold. "Is that really necessary?" Amy questioned, standing up and holding Faith in her arms.

"It is if we want to get her out of this house without having to see all the gore," he gestured. "I'll compel her to forget everything else she saw tonight once we check in at a hotel for the night. There's no way in hell I'm letting her sleep here."

"What about the house? We need to clean it up."

"I'll get it tended to tomorrow. For right now, I want you and her to get some sleep. I'll inform Silver of our plans."

•~•

At the witch cemetery, Silver also regained consciousness from his broken neck. He sat upright, looking at Mighty who was still desperately trying to get the ritual to work. He had no clue how long he had been out, but he speculated it couldn't have been more than ten minutes.

"I know this is wrong," Mighty shouted to the skies. "But I believe in you, please believe in me. I'm trying to stop this thing from breaching our world!"

Silver stared in awe as the podium in front of Mighty began to shake. In fact, it felt like they were experiencing a slight earthquake as the earth shook beneath them. Thunder rolled in even louder and closer than before and lightning lit up the night sky. Mighty looked around them before looking towards the sky. Rain started to descend down on them and right then and there, all four girls sat upright and screamed as they were revitalized. Mighty fell to his knees, relieved that the ceremony had worked.

•~•

Once the girls were compelled not to utter a word of this event to anyone and sent off, Mighty turned to look at Silver. "You are so lucky."

"Yes, we were," he concurred before turning on his heel.

"Silver, let me ask you a question," he asked, causing him to halt. Silver stopped and kept his back towards the armadillo, but glanced at him over his shoulder. "Do you remember at all what it's like to have morals?"

"I thought I did," he replied. "But not anymore."

"Because you just put four girls' lives at risk back there," he gestured, throwing a thumb back.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm trying, Mighty…but whatever happened tonight, we prevented the city from being destroyed."

Mighty shook his head at Silver's assuredness. "You seem so sure, but what happens if what we did _didn't_ work tonight?" he challenged.

"It did," he confirmed with certainty. "And now we have another ally against Infinite."

"Silver, you are an infection on this city. Right now, you have absolutely no virtue and no value, here or wherever it is that you decide to drag yourself next. I feel so sorry that Faith has to be raised in the same household with a punk like you," he pointed. "I'm going to pray for her soul because I know you don't have one..."

Silver watched as Mighty backed away from him with furrowed brows before eventually turning around and leaving him. Silver remained stood in the cemetery, mulling over his harsh words.

•~•

A bit later, Shadow stood outside in the parking lot of a motel not too far from their home. Two cars pulled into the parking lot and pulled into a parking spot nearby. Shadow watched as the passenger door opened allowing Blaze out of the vehicle. She rushed over towards Shadow eager to find out if everyone was all right.

In the other car parked a few spots away, Silver stepped out of his own car and shut the driver door behind him. Still oblivious to all the eventful things that had happened around his family, he strolled towards his wife and brother.

Blaze embraced Shadow for a moment before pulling away. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

Silver stood in the background eavesdropping in on the conversation that had already begun without him. He tucked his hand into the pocket of his pants and stared in Blaze's direction noticing her mucky looking outfit that had once looked pristine this morning.

Shadow smiled at her concern. "It's okay Blaze, Amy, Faith, and I are fine. If anything, I should be asking about your wellbeing," he spoke noting her appearance. "What exactly happened?"

Blaze's head dropped dejectedly. She felt a bit like a failure. "Lupe outsmarted me and managed to kill me. She knew the only thing stopping her from entering past my boundary spell was how I linked it to my heartbeat."

Silver's eyes widened from the detail. Blaze had been dead temporarily on his watch? He went to open his mouth to intervene, but Shadow was quick to ask the same question he was thinking of. "Who managed to save you?"

"Sonic thankfully," she answered. "I must admit; Lupe is a crafty one. She was one step ahead of us once again," she sighed woefully.

"We'll get the upper hand on her eventually. We always do with our foes," he smirked.

"Why exactly did we receive a text to turn up here for the night?" Silver finally asked, interloping the conversation.

Shadow directed his attention to Silver hovering in the background behind Blaze. "When Lupe invaded our home I had no other choice but to defend our compound. I may have broken the rule I had just mandated earlier this morning," he noted uncomfortably. "Since it's going to take a bit of time to clean up. I decided to get the family out of that environment until we can properly clean it."

Blaze wrung her wrists nervously, imagining the devastation Shadow had committed. "Did Faith happen to see any of the…bodies?"

"She did see some brutality," he admitted disconsolately. "I compelled her to forget what she saw tonight. That's the best I can do for her for now."

"What is the room situation then?" Silver inquired.

"There were only two rooms left when we checked in. Amy and Faith are already in our room sound asleep," he said rummaging into his jean pocket. He pulled out two key cards and handed one over to Blaze, then one over to Silver. "These are your keys, your room is 205 three doors down from ours."

As she looked down at the keycard it suddenly registered in her mind that she'd be forced to share a room with Silver. She had been trying to avoid him and had been sleeping in the guest room for the time being, but it didn't look like she'd be able to avoid him tonight. However, it'd only be one night. She could do this! "Right…"

With that said, Blaze turned on her heel, brushing past Silver. The two brothers watched as she walked up a flight of stairs before heading over to her room and unlocking it. Once she was inside, Silver turned back to Shadow. "Sounds like it was quite eventful today," he mulled aloud.

"It seems that way," Shadow replied before another thought crossed his mind. "Speaking of which, what were you up to all day?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Busy working with Mighty to re-connect our link to the ancestors' afterworld. You know mother screwed up the link to our world from her world when she used their power to resurrect herself and Mephiles."

Not realizing the consequences in order to achieve this goal, Shadow nodded as he listened. If Shadow knew the extent he had gone to attain this goal, he knew his brother would not be pleased with him. "So was it a success?" Shadow asked, pulling him out of his ruminations.

Silver ran a hand over his bangs. "It was, we now have another ally on our side eager to assist us in defeating Infinite."

"Wonderful," Shadow exhaled before looking back to their room. "Are you going to be okay up there with Blaze?"

"I'm planning on trying to get her to talk to me when I head upstairs. I want to try to clear the air and mend ways."

Shadow reached out and patted his brother's shoulder. "I wish you luck, brother."

Silver gave him a weak smile. "Thank you."

•~•

Sitting on the edge of their queen size bed, Blaze had already taken a quick shower and was wrapped up in a white towel. She was thanking her blessings that she had brought some of her healing creams with her today in her bag since she desperately needed it for her injuries. Suddenly, the front door to her room began to open and she froze–she was practically naked with the small towel wrapped around her. Her tensing eased when she realized it was only Silver. "Did you lose your manners, too? You should knock before entering a room," she reprimanded.

Ignoring her annoyance, Silver closed the door behind him as he entered the room. "It is _our_ room," he reminded. "And it's not like I'm seeing something I haven't seen before," he dismissed coolly.

He watched as Blaze continued on what she had been previously working on, trying to massage in some sort of herbal ointment onto her bare backside. She had a white towel wrapped around her nude form, covering her butt and front side. Feeling his eyes on her, she huffed. "Don't expect me to talk much if that's what you've come for."

He took off his wet vest and hung it up over the radiator for it to dry overnight. "I've just come to get some rest. I'll take the pull out bed and leave you be." He walked over to the sofa and began deconstructing it and turning it into the pull out bed it could be formed into. Blaze watched him carefully as he rummaged through the closet and pulled out some fresh linens.

Blaze shook her head to herself wishing she could be anywhere but here right now. She couldn't stand to look at him, but she'd have to put up with him for one night. Silver, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a little pleased to be forced to share a room with her. He had hoped he'd be able to try to coax her into talking to him one way or another; he'd just have to find a reason to get her to talk to him wherever he could find a reason. He finished putting the sheets over the rough looking mattress before dusting his hands off.

While one hand, clutched the towel covering her nude front, Blaze's other hand struggled to massage the yellowish paste onto her bruised and cut up backside. Seeing her in pain and struggling made his heart swell. Cautiously, he approached the bed she was sat on and stood just behind her. He was growing tired of watching her stumble to smear a bit ointment onto a particular part of her back she just couldn't seem to reach. "Need some assistance? I can always lend a hand," he offered kindly.

Blaze considered telling him to fuck off, but at the end of the day, she did need some help. If she wanted to heal faster than normal, she'd need to get this cream onto her back properly for it to work its magic overnight. She just wished it could be anyone other than Silver. She sighed begrudgingly. "Fine…"

Smiling victoriously, Silver climbed onto the bed behind her. She lifted her hand with the ointment, allowing him to reach his arm over her shoulder and take the jar with the homemade cream.

Carefully, Silver settled behind her and took off his white gloves, discarding them off to the side. Blaze felt the weight behind her dip suddenly feeling very awkward with her current position. Silver scooped some of the paste into his hand before gently smearing the product onto the middle part of her back. She flinched momentarily, feeling his cold hands touch her warm backside. There was a moment of silence between the strained couple as Silver massaged the cream onto her wounds, careful not to press too hard to inflict any more pain.

"So," he eventually spoke, ending the uncomfortable silence. "What happened to you today to cause all this?" he asked with interest.

Blaze clutched the towel closer to her chest trying to maintain her modesty in front of him. "I thought I said no talking," she reminded passively, before caving into giving him some details. "However, if you must know, it happened when I was fighting Lupe today. She threw me into some church benches."

Silver cringed imagining the pain that must have come with her fight. Blaze was not normally the fighting type. If anything, she acted more of a healer to their family. He wished he could have been by her side to help aid her in her fight, however with their distance lately he knew there wasn't a chance in hell she'd allow him to join her. "That must've hurt," he commented, trying to keep up their conversation. At this point, any conversation, including small talk was better than nothing in his eyes.

"Yeah, it did." Blaze closed her eyes as she felt her husband's hand caress and massage her backside tenderly, his hands moving lower. She cursed at the fact he was so good with his hands. His fingertips sent shivers down her spine at how careful he was to knead and massage her, making sure the cream completely absorbed.

Silver felt her sink further back into him and smiled discreetly, knowing she was enjoying his touch. He could have sworn he heard her sigh out a moan of satisfaction. Finishing, he lowered his hands to rest on her hips and leaned forward and planted a soft kiss to the back of her neck, causing her face to heat up in surprise. Before she could interject anything, she felt his right hand come around her side and grasp her chin softly. He turned it towards her left and was met by a pair of lips.

She struggled against him for a moment before reciprocating his actions, kissing him back. His kiss was chaste and his lips slowly moved with hers. She had no idea why she was allowing him to get away with this. Her mind was telling her to pull away and slap the hell out of him and to not reward him for his bad behavior, but her heart was telling her to forgive him and to move on.

As they kissed, Silver slowly lowered them, maneuvering himself so she was lying flat on the bed, while he straddled her. He used his arms to support his weight, keeping his hands by her head, while he continued to kiss her long and deep. Eventually, she moved her head to the side, parting from their kiss. She glanced up at him, feeling flushed in the face. "W-what are you doing?" she asked in a whisper.

He frowned looking incredibly guilty. "I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "I-I just miss you."

Her eyes looked away from his somber amber ones. "I'm still disappointed in you, you know."

"I know," he sighed. "But after hearing that you nearly died today…" his voice croaked. "If Sonic wasn't there to save you, I could have lost you and we'd have been on bad terms. I know what I've done is wrong, but I love you, Blaze."

Blaze pushed herself up with her elbows, forcing Silver to move back and off of her. She sat up fully, clutching the towel from falling off her frame. "What exactly do you want for our relationship?"

"Easy, I want us to heal," he nuzzled the side of her neck with his muzzle. "Let me help you heal," he offered sensually. Silver sunk lower and parted her thighs, exposing her folds to him.

"Wait, what are you-" Blaze gasped as she felt his fingers softly stroke the outside of her lips. He softly traced her opening, pushing and rubbing certain parts that made her breath hitch. Eventually, he used his index and middle finger to part her folds and pressed his face in between her milky thighs. Blaze felt her face heat up as she felt his warm breath cascade against her most sensitive region. His tongue flicked softly at her warm channel, tasting and savoring her.

Blaze writhed in place absolutely hating this moment. It's not that she hated what Silver was doing to her; it was the fact that he knew how to make her feel so good. She hated allowing herself to get into this position. She was still mad as hell at Silver, but for whatever reason, she was now sat on the bed in some run-down motel allowing him to eat her out. "Ah…"

Silver's ears twitched to her euphoric sounds, he swirled his tongue, reaching parts inside of her she never thought he could reach. Her insides clamped up, trying to desperately hold onto that naughty tongue of his to dive deeper.

Blaze clutched onto his head between her legs, pulling him further into her. She could feel something building inside her that she was oh too familiar with. She was about to come and she knew this was going to be a strong one.

Silver knew it was coming too and inserted two of his fingers into her slippery channel, moving them rhythmically with his tongue. Blaze spread her legs further apart, knowing she was about to explode. Her breath rose and fell with each hitched breath just as she erupted. Her toes curled as she felt all those pleasurable sensations leave her body feeling tingly and warm. She panted trying to catch her breath as she rolled over to her side to collect herself.

Silver wiped his mouth with the back of his right arm and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and stroked the top of her head. What exactly was Silver's plan here, Blaze wondered. Why had he been so willing to please her? Those thoughts plagued her mind until she came to a theory. He was using sex as an incentive to pull her back. He never promised her that he'd quit the terrible deeds he had committed. He just wanted her back! Well, if that was the type of game he was going to play, she could play just as hard.

Blaze looked up at him through a half-lidded gaze, hungrily wanting more. She unraveled the towel around her, exposing her nude body. "Come here," she demanded lowly, outstretching one of her arms.

Silver leaned down closer to her, unsure of what her demands were. "What do you-" His lips were violently attacked by her own when she pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Closing his eyes and succumbing to her dominance, Silver laid on the bed next to her and pulled her flush against him. Her hands tangled through his quills as she kissed him back with fervor. Silver rolled them over so he was on top and pried his lips away from hers and began to attack the side of her neck.

Blaze clawed at his back, wishing she could tear his damn white dress shirt off and feel his fur beneath her fingers. "Take your damn shirt off," she commanded.

Obliging, Silver lifted from her and quickly unbuttoned his shirt with ease before tossing it on the floor. He returned to kissing her neck, nipping and leaving love marks. His left hand reached for her breast, fondling it tenderly. Blaze moaned as he grinded his still clothed pelvis against her already dripping core. She felt his hardened shaft press against her vaginal lips through his pants and shuddered in anticipation. She wanted him now. Rolling them over so she was on top, she caged him, using her arms so she was looking down at him. Her eyes held lust and frustration. Silver had never seen her like this before as he stared up at her. "I want you to fuck me."

He looked taken aback by her order. "But Blaze-"

"—Just do it!"

Since when had Blaze become so demanding? She allowed him to sit upright as he discarded the rest of his clothing, leaving him completely nude. She got on all fours with her ass sticking out, waiting for him patiently. Silver maneuvered himself behind her; surprised she wanted him to mate with her in such a position. Blaze had always found this position quite demeaning since she always wanted him to look at her when they made love. What had changed this time?

Holding his shaft in his one hand he moved it so it pressed against her entrance. Her plump lips parted slightly when she felt the head probe her. She rocked against it, allowing her folds to lubricate his tip. Silver guided the head of his penis inside of her, then his shaft, before it finally disappeared completely inside her. Blaze shut her eyes feeling her channel consume his girth entirely. She moaned as he began to pump into her, slowly at first, before going at a better stride.

"Faster," she moaned, clutching the bed sheets in her hands. She bowed her head, lifting her ass into the air even higher as he began to pummel into her. He held her by the hips, picking up his pace like she had asked.

He could feel her passage squeezing around him with every thrust. He closed his eyes momentarily, relishing in the feeling. "I hate you," she moaned out softly as he increased his speed suddenly. Silver opened his eyes not hindering his stride as he tried to process what he thought he had just heard.

"What?" he breathed out shakily.

She gasped feeling another climax building inside her. "I fucking hate you for making me feel so good…"

It suddenly dawned on him why she had picked this position to mate in. It wasn't as intimate and didn't involve him looking down at her. She didn't want to have sex with him because she wanted to be intimate and rekindle anything; she wanted it solely for pleasure and nothing more. He felt her core clamp hard around his shaft making him wince. She was so tight, hot, and he could feel her inner walls spasm around him, knowing he had just made her cum once again. He stopped his movements and stayed inside of her as she moaned before collapsing stomach first on the bed.

He pulled his slick and wet member out of her and watched as she relished in the after glow of their sex. He laid down beside her, watching her breasts rise and fall. "Did you just have hate sex with me?" he questioned.

She sat up and walked towards their bathroom. "Yeah," she mumbled carelessly. She entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her to clean up.

•~•

Later that night in the Mystic Ruins, Caleb wandered through the forest after not being able to sleep. With his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his windbreaker, he came to a dead stop on the unmarked trail of the forest. Standing several yards in front of him was some sort of glowing red entity. You couldn't quite make out all of their features, but based on the body type and height, he could tell it was some sort of male. He blinked a few times, before rubbing his eyes. Was he really seeing this thing?

The apparition laughed in dark amusement by his reaction. "Yes, that's right…"

Caleb took a precautionary step back, feeling the hair on the back of his neck rise. Whatever he was facing right now was not friendly, that much he could tell. He kept his eyes locked on the being, too afraid to find out what would happen if he looked away. "What do you want?"

"I need a place to hide now that the ancestors are on my tail. You look appealing to hide in," he alluded with a toothy smirk. Suddenly, the creature dissipated into a dark red mass and flew straight towards Caleb. The moment it made contact with his body, Caleb staggered backwards, glowing bright red. The glow to his body faded after a few moments and his head dropped down as he stood there.

Then, slowly, his head lifted and his entire countenance and demeanor shifted into something more sinister. He turned on his heel, heading back to camp to continue his plans.


	39. Infinite's Origin

~Flashback: 2000 years ago~

A tribe of Jackals stood around a large bonfire in the dead of the night. With many teepees around the camp, the group of tribe members looked to one teepee in particular. An elder male shaman of the tribe walked out carrying a bundle in his arms. Wrapped up in cloth was a newborn baby boy. His fur was black and white and he wailed profusely as he was carried towards the awaiting crowd.

Many of the other tribe members bowed in respect as he walked past them. Eventually, the shaman stopped in front of a crib set up near the fire, but not too close. Huddled around the crib were assorted wildflowers the females of the tribe had collected as offerings for his birth. He lowered the infant into the woven crib and smiled down at him. "Today is a glorious day," the shaman announced. "The heir to our tribe has been born. Let us bless and praise our new future leader, Zero!"

In unison, the tribe bowed to their new future leader. Suddenly, the flames of the torches lit around camp extinguished with a sudden gush of wind along with the large bonfire, leaving the camp in complete darkness. Mumbles of uncertainty as surprise began to unwind. The elder looked around for a sign of explanation. "Do not fear, it is simply the wind!" he assured.

With another gush of wind, the torches and bonfire suddenly came roaring back to life, igniting around them. All eyes fell to the infant lying delicately in the crib innocently. "Look," one of the members pointed.

Everyone watched as the flowers around the infant suddenly began to rapidly decay, losing their vibrancy in color and withering away to a ghastly black. The shaman took a precautionary step back, unsettled by the omen unraveling before him.

•~•

At the motel, Faith looked out of their motel window longingly. Her ears twitched as she pulled her eyes away from looking outside, and instead to looking around their room. She could hear the faint murmurs of a female whispering to her. Just at that moment, Amy turned away from doing her makeup, noticing her daughter's poised expression. "Faith, what's going on?"

Faith walked over to her mother, laying her hands on her mother's thigh. "Mommy, can you hear them, too?"

Amy cocked her head to her side, lowering her makeup brush onto the table. "…Hear what?"

"The whispers," she replied unfazed. "You can't hear them?"

Amy lifted her daughter up and brought her into her lap, bringing her close. Having heard some of the conversations from the bathroom, Shadow entered the bedroom. "What's going on?" he questioned.

"Faith is hearing voices," Amy explained to her concerned husband. She turned to give her attention to Faith. "Tell us what you heard," Amy commanded softly.

"The voices said that I'm connected to this somehow," she stated.

Shadow knelt down to her level, so he could look at her eye to eye. "Who exactly is talking to you, sweetheart?"

"The ancestors," she specified. "They said they have a message for you and Aunt Sally—a warning."

Amy stroked the top of her head, growing uneasy. "What did they say?"

"They want them to go to the abandoned church downtown to talk to them. They said to do whatever they say," she informed.

Shadow and Amy exchanged a look—what exactly the ancestors had in store for them, they were sure they'd find out. "I'll give Sonic a call and let him know what's going on," Shadow mumbled before walking off.

•~•

Meanwhile, in the other room, Silver and Blaze were getting ready for the day. Silver sat on the edge of his pull out bed, buttoning up his white dress shirt. As he finished going down the row of buttons, he thought about what had conspired between he and Blaze last night. He hadn't expected her to act that way with him, and when he really thought about it, it had nearly broken his heart. Blaze had told him that she _hated_ him, but did she really mean it?

Just then, Blaze came out of the bathroom dressed and ready for the day. Silver stood and walked towards her, eager to clear the air. "Blaze, can we talk?"

She looked at him, keeping her expression void of any type of emotion. "What is there to talk about?"

He tilted his head to the side curiously. "Why did you have sex with me if you're unwilling to forgive me?"

"Easy," she replied. "Because you're unwilling to stop acting like a ruthless monster," she countered. "You expected me to just forgive you last night, have passionate sex, all while you go continue doing unthinkable things because you think it'll keep us safe. You can't have it all!"

His brows narrowed by her explanation. "So, you just decided to screw me for your own satisfaction?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hurt him back as he had hurt her. "I've been pretty stressed lately and I've needed a way to unwind. You helped me with that last night."

He frowned by her response. "Blaze, please," he begged. "I want you back in my life."

"One day you're going to lose yourself entirely to the darkness," she forewarned. "You act like you have control of how much of the monster you let out behind that red door, but do you truly know that?"

"I can control it, I promise," he assured her. "I never fully open the door to let that other side of me out. I merely crack the door a little, allowing some of its influence out."

"Clearly we can't come to some sort of compromise, so it's a no for me," she said walking past him.

He turned, watching her closely as she walked towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"To get something to eat because I'm starving," she answered before opening the door and closing it behind her.

•~•

Afterward, Silver met Shadow outside of his motel room. The two brothers discussed what the game plan would entail for the day. "You're going to meet with the ancestors? What do they want?"

"We're not sure yet," Shadow replied. "But it's a good thing you got that link back up. I called Sonic and Sally said she'd be willing to come down and find out how she's connected with this all. She and I will head down to the church to see what they have to say. Amy's gonna watch over Faith for the day."

"What about the house, it needs to be cleaned," Silver mentioned. "Want me to head down and work on that?"

"I've already got that under control. I have cleaning crew over there right now cleaning up all the blood and remains. I compelled them to complete the job earlier this morning, so we should be able to return there tonight," he informed.

"Psst," they both heard from behind them. The two brothers turned, only to spot Amy peeking out behind her cracked motel door.

They walked closer to see what was up. "Rose, what is it?" Shadow whispered.

"I just got an email from one of my old friends. He used to work with my dad and he happens to have one of Infinite's bones," she whispered lowly.

Shadow looked surprised but also happy with the news. "Brilliant," he smiled. "How did you manage to discover that?"

"The other day I was doing research trying to figure out who might be another guardian of the bones. I remembered my friend who happens to also be from a powerful lineage of hunters. He happens to be one of those guardians and told me he'd be willing to meet up since we're so deep in defeating Infinite."

"A hunter, huh?" Silver said rather suspiciously.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you," she assured. "He said he could meet halfway, but I'm watching Faith. Could either of you meet up with him?"

Silver stepped forward and raised his hand. "I could always volunteer."

"Awesome," she smiled. "I texted Sonic to see if he'd be willing to join, too. He actually knows this guy personally like me. We went to high school together."

Shadow patted Silver on the back. "Looks like you've got an adventurous day ahead of you, brother."

•~•

Meanwhile, across the street, Blaze ate some breakfast at a small diner by herself. She cut into her sunnyside up eggs, allowing the yolk to run all over her plate. She took a few bites of her eggs along with some of her bacon, savoring the combined taste. However, her quiet breakfast halted when a familiar figure approached the booth she sat at. Glancing up with a mouth full of breakfast, she looked surprised to see Mighty standing before her.

Finishing chewing her food, she swallowed. "Mighty, what are you doing here?"

Mighty didn't look too happy, in fact, he looked quite troubled, almost as if he had a lot on his mind. "Mind if I sit?" he asked politely, glancing at the empty seat across from her. She nodded, accepting his suggestion. Casually, he slid into the booth and folded his arms over the tabletop, looking unsettled in his expression.

She put her silverware down, wanting to focus on his conversation. She could tell their conversation would not be light and would be more on the heavier side by his apparent mood. "So, what's up?"

"I came to talk to you about your husband," he began seriously. "Are you aware of how he's been acting lately?"

She leaned her own arms across the tabletop. "If you mean that he's been acting like a cold, detached machine, then yes."

Mighty sighed and rubbed the underside of his nose in thought. "I always thought it'd be Shadow who I'd have difficulty working with, but little did I know it'd be Silver who I'd come to loathe and despise." He rubbed the skin between his eyes. "I don't know how much longer I can work with him, Blaze," he admitted solemnly.

"I-I understand," she replied sadly, knowing where this was headed. "I've tried to talk him down from acting this way, but he won't budge."

"I see," Mighty contemplated. "Are you aware of the atrocity that he committed last night?" he probed curiously.

"No," Blaze shook her head, suddenly feeling very anxious about the possibilities, "But to be honest, I didn't exactly push him to tell me what he'd been up to all day. You see, Silver and I have been quite a distance since the night of the party."

He frowned further, feeling saddened about what he was going to reveal. "You're not going to like to hear this then," he foreshadowed, "But last night, Silver kidnapped four female, teen witches, and murdered them. He slit each and every one of their throats," he explained, going into detail. "He then proceeded to force me into completing the Harvest Ritual, something I am not permitted to do, in order to reestablish the link to the ancestors his mother had damaged."

Blaze sunk back in her seat, devastated by the news. The Harvest Ritual had always been very controversial in their community and she knew what the rewards and consequences were for it. It felt like she had been punched to the gut by revelation. In fact, she had even lost her appetite at that point. "I-I…" she stammered, lost for words.

"I know it's hard to hear," he empathized. "I only came here to speak to you as a friend because I'm concerned with your welfare around him. I'm worried that he may go too far at some point and…really hurt you."

"Damn him," she muttered under her breath. Tears started seeping down her cheeks. "Damn him..."

•~•

At the church, Shadow and Sally met up together to meet with the ancestors and find out what their message entailed. The two pushed open the creaky wooden door and sauntered into the church, walking side by side. Shadow felt icky as he walked in, reminded of the tragedy and miracle that had occurred here several years ago. After all, this had been the place Amy had been taken against her will to give birth to their daughter, but it was also the place she had died and started her new life as an immortal vampire.

Sally felt a shiver down her spine by the eeriness of silence in the old building. "It's so quiet," she noted, breaking the silence.

"Of course it is," Shadow muttered. "It's probably a trap."

Sally shot the hybrid a look by his pessimistic outlook. "Now come on, we don't know that."

He continued to lead the way down the aisle, being careful to remain observant and take in his environment. "The witches in Station Square have hated my family for three centuries." His eyes shifted left and right, almost expecting someone to leap out at them, but eventually, he stopped when he reached the other end. "Of course it's a trap…"

Sally stopped a few feet behind him and crossed her arms over her chest, not as certain about the chicanery. "The coven protects their own and your daughter is part of their legacy. You even said over the phone they used her as a liaison, so they must come in peace," Sally reminded.

Shadow turned around on his heel and shot her a glare by her counter-argument. "Faith is a far cry from a Station Square fortune-teller, and while we're on the subject, she's seven. If anyone wants to talk to her, they should ask my permission first," he gestured.

Sally let out a chortle by his over-protectiveness, wrapping an arm around her stomach. "Oh boy," she cackled. "You're gonna be a lot of fun when she starts dating, huh?" she noted sardonically.

He scoffed at her comment. "I'm going to be a perfect gentleman. However, if any of her suitors fail to meet my expectations, I'll compel them to join the G.U.N overseas," he smirked arrogantly.

Before Sally could retort to his statement, footsteps approached them from the front of the church. The two looked and suddenly four young witches sauntered out and took place on the main altar. They stood in a horizontal line before their guests. "Who do we have here?" Shadow questioned.

"We're the Harvest girls," one of the female witches addressed. "You know, the ones your brother murdered last night in order to gain the link back to the ancestors," they reminded passively.

Shadow blinked in surprise, taken aback by the news. Silver had told him he had done something in order to re-establish the link, however, he hadn't gone into details on how he had succeeded it. "Hold on a second, did you say, _murdered_?" he repeated, hoping for correction.

Another girl, a purple hedgehog, nodded confirming his question. "Yes, he kidnapped all four of us and forced a friend of yours to conduct the ritual."

Sally looked over to Shadow, startled with the fact that Silver of all people would do something so brutal. "Jeez, are you sure it wasn't him?" Sally gestured, towards Shadow. "It seems like something more up your alley."

Another female, a yellow monkey, shook her head. "No, it was definitely his older brother."

Shadow's eyes fell to the floor sadly. Once he got finished with this, he was sure to have a very reprimanding discussion with his older brother. "I may be evil to some, but I don't harm children," he cleared. "I am sorry that my brother did something so unspeakable, but I happen to come in peace," he said raising his hands up.

The girls looked at one another, trying to identify if he truly came in peace as he said. After some quiet discussion, they came to their conclusion. "We will help you," the leader of their group announced. "So, we shall get started."

•~•

At the werewolf camp, Sonic started to pack some supplies for his road trip. Watching him from afar, Infinite, now inhabiting Caleb's body, sauntered over to the oblivious hedgehog. "Where are you headed off to?" he inquired while trying to remain in character.

Sonic looked over his shoulder at the dingo, before folding up the trunk to the bed of the truck. "I'm heading off to meet an old friend that has one of Infinite's bones," he replied.

Caleb's expression peaked with intrigue. "Oh, well, hey, do you need another hand for backup? I could always ride with yah," he smiled.

Sonic smiled with appreciation. "Nah, it's alright man, it's already covered. Silver is going to tag along for the ride. Do you mind keeping watch while I'm out? Sally's out with Shadow doing some other errand."

He seethed internally but kept on his pleasant façade on the outside. "Oh, of course, man. But, uh, where is this _friend_ arriving from anyway?"

"He's driving in a few hours away from Mercia," he explained. "We're going to meet him at the local Robotnik's BBQ place a few miles south." A sleek BMW pulled into camp, and the two looked at their new visitor. "Oh, that should be Silver!"

Silver got out of his car and walked over towards the two.

"I wish you two the best of luck then," Caleb waved before turning on his heel.

"Thanks, man!" Sonic waved to his retreating figure.

Once his face was away from Sonic's line of view he scowled in annoyance. Without a doubt, he was sure he'd get to that bone before the other two. He could not let them get their hands on the rest of his remains.

•~•

Back at the church, everything seemed to be set up in order for the meeting with the ancestors to work. Shadow and Sally sat on the steps of the altar, waiting patiently for the girls to complete their work area with the herbs, candles, and spell designs.

The leader of the group, a green chameleon, sauntered towards Shadow with a wooden bowl in hand. "We need your blood for this to work," she ordered.

Shadow reached for the bowl, taking it in his hand. "Very well." Holding the bowl in one hand he used his other hand to bring up to his mouth. His fangs dug into the side of his wrist, drawing blood. He allowed the blood to drip down into the pull before passing it over to Sally.

Sally took the bowl in one hand and then offered her free arm out to Shadow. "Bite me, please."

Shadow grabbed her arm and dug his fangs into her wrist, making her wince from the sharp pain. She gasped and then he pulled his mouth away, allowing her to squeeze the blood dripping from her wrist into the bowl. Once they were done, Sally gave the bowl back to the witch, allowing her to continue with the process.

Shadow wiped some of the blood smeared around his lips away with one of his thumbs. He licked at his lips and then fingers. "Hm, you actually taste pretty good."

Sally gave him a forced smile, unsure of his compliment. "Uh, thanks?"

"Are you two ready," the leader asked.

Shadow looked to Sally, who nodded in response. "It appears so," he replied.

"Then step inside the spell circle," the leader instructed.

The two followed the instructions and stepped inside the large triangle spell design drawn in white chalk. "Anything we should know?" Sally inquired, suddenly growing nervous.

The leader smirked. "Only that this is going to hurt." With that, she looked to the other girls, who in unison lifted their arms into the air. They all broke out in a foreign language incantation chant.

Shadow and Sally screamed out in agony, feeling an insurmountable pain radiate through their bodies. Their screams were ear piercing and within a few seconds, they fell to the floor, unconscious.

•~•

In an otherworldly universe, Shadow's eyes fluttered open. He was lying on the floor of the church, in the same spell circle, but it appeared he was in some sort of another realm. Everything had a strange dark green hue to it. It was quite creepy if you asked him. He sat upright, looking over to Sally who was also starting to stir. "Hey, you okay?"

Sally groaned as she pushed herself off the floor. "That hurt like hell," she mumbled.

Shadow chuckled lowly and hopped to his feet. "They weren't lying when they said it would," he said holding out his hand for her to take.

Sally accepted his kind gesture as he pulled her up to her feet, but the two froze when they heard another voice. "I wasn't sure you were going to show up," a mature female voice spoke from around the corner.

Their eyes flew to where the voice was coming from and Shadow felt his stomach sink, recognizing the voice immediately. "No, it can't be…"

A cloaked figure came out from behind the cracked wooden doors of the church, and walked towards them, keeping their face hidden with the large hood, shadowing their face. Sally picked up that Shadow seemed shaken as he stared at the strange hooded figure. She looked up at him, confused by his grave expression. "What, do you know who this is?"

He blinked in befuddlement. "…Mother?"

The figure lowered their hood, revealing themselves to be in fact Shadow's mother, but in her original form. She was no longer in Gala-Na's echidna body, but instead in her white hedgehog form. "That's right, and you will listen to every single word I have to say because right now, I'm the only thing standing between you and Infinite," she made explicit.

His brows furrowed. "How the hell did you wind up here?" Shadow snapped. "Because last I checked, I had turned you into a vampire," he pointed.

She smirked, amused by his determination to figure out every last detail. "Yes, you may have turned me into a vampire, but I had a failsafe set in place in case anything like this happened."

"What ended up happening to you all those years ago, anyway?" he probed.

"Oh, you didn't know?" she asked in feigned surprise. "Your dear friend Mighty ended up killing me out of spite for all I had done to him and his little girlfriend," she huffed.

Shadow growled from her response. "Mighty," he seethed. "I wanted to be the one to take you out when I felt like it. I'll give him a nice smackdown once I return to the living…"

Standing there awkwardly as a third wheel, Sally exchanged strained looks between the mother and son. "Uh, so I'm Sally, nice to meet you, Shadow's mom…" she waved timidly.

Ivy smiled warmly towards the chipmunk, ignoring her brooding son in the background. "Hello Sally, it's lovely to meet you. As you are aware, I am Shadow's mother, but you can call me Ivy."

Shadow rolled his eyes at her faulty sweet greeting and huffed. "Alright, let's get on with this. Let's hear the message," Shadow urged.

"First, I need to tell you the origin story of Infinite," she corrected. "It begins a two thousand years before the city was founded…"

 **~Flashback 2000 Years Ago~**

" _Two rival tribes decided to combine their power. They thought that by uniting in peace, they would enter a new age of harmony. A marriage was arranged and two powerful witches joined together to create a unified coven."_

A beautiful brown and white, female Jackal, stood in front of a tall, muscular, and handsome, male grey Jackal. Behind them were both of their tribes, watching as one of the elders, a red jackal, read some verses for a ritual in a foreign language. The couple held each other's hands as they looked into each other's eyes. A green vine with flowers wrapped around each other's wrists, linking them together to symbolize their eternal love.

~End Flashback: Back to Present Time~

Sally placed a hand to her chin, deep in thought. "A ceremonial wedding," she noted, picking up on the familiarity. "Like the one Sonic and I had to unite our pack?"

"That is correct," Ivy concurred. "They were the originators of that ceremony."

Now sitting on one of the benches in the church, Shadow groaned. This story was too predictable for him. "Let me guess, something went wrong?" he droned. Ivy shook her head at her son's passiveness. She allowed it to roll off her shoulders before continuing her tale.

~Continuation Flashback 2000 Years Ago~

" _That marriage bore a child, and for nine months, the tribe elders visited the mother, using magic to grant the child great power in hopes that the newborn would become a symbol of prosperity."_

Inside a small tepee, the elder of the now unified tribe wafted some sage around the now pregnant female jackal as she lay on a slate of rock. Her bare belly was exposed towards the ceiling of the tent, showing a slight baby bump. She kept her eyes closed, listening to the elder shaman pray and bless her child in their foreign language.

 **~End Flashback: Back to Present Time~**

Back in reality, Shadow was continuing to grow bored of this long story. "Can we pick up the pace here," he interrupted.

Ivy shot him an irate glare. "Be patient, Shadow!" she bellowed.

Sally marched over and punched him in the shoulder, making him growl at her. He reached for his tender shoulder, rubbing it to ease the pain. "Hey, what was that for?"

"I happen to be interested in the story, so shut up and stop complaining!"

Ivy cleared her throat, trying to recall where she left off. "At any rate, they had no idea what they were bringing into the world."

 **~Continuation Flashback 2000 Years Ago~**

" _The baby, a little boy, was named Zero, but soon it was clear he was stronger than anyone could ever imagine. He had a terrible hunger for even more power still."_

The mother of the child held her infant after having given a stressful birth. She and her husband smiled at each other as they relished in the birth of their healthy offspring. The baby wailed loudly as it remained bundled up in some animal skin to stay warm.

 **~End Flashback: Back to Present Time~**

Shadow stretched his arms over his head, growing antsy. "Well, this is all frightening fodder for campfire tales, but how do we kill him?"

Ivy looked at him long and hard, baffled that he seemed so arrogant on defeating this thing. "You don't understand, Shadow. You can't."

Sally's face turned to dread by the admittance. They couldn't stop this thing?

•~•

Meanwhile, driving down a lonely road in the back roads, a staunch red echidna in his early 30s drove his pickup truck to meet with Sonic. Listening to some classic rock on the radio, the echidna looked on mysteriously at his radio station screen when it suddenly became static. Perhaps he was just losing signal now that he was so out from civilization and the big city?

His engine started to make strange noises and he felt the car begin to stall. "Shit…" he muttered under his breath. He watched as his meter on his dash began to spazz out as he came to a slow halt on the road. When he looked back up through his windshield, he spotted a male dingo standing menacingly in the road, giving him a death glare. His car came to a dead halt just a foot away from the stranger in the road.

"Car trouble?" Caleb questioned, watching the echidna like a hawk.

The red echidna got out of the car, unfazed by the spooky appearance of the dingo. He closed the driver's door shut as he kept his own eyes on the male. "Yeah, it's the damndest thing," he laughed, pounding the side of his fist against the hood of his trunk. "It just died on me."

Caleb watched as he walked over to the back part of his car and reached into the bed of his truck. "Unless you want to follow suit. Give me the bone," he demanded without flinching.

"Yeah, about that…" he stalled, revealing a crossbow aimed directly at him. "Someone else called dibs first," he smirked, taking a shot at the stranger.

Caleb caught the arrow just mere inches from inflicting damage on his chest, not ever taking his eyes off of him. "That was foolish."

The echidna watched as Caleb flicked his other wrist, causing his weapon to be flung from his hands and into the woods off the side of the road. Suddenly, he felt himself being slammed from the front by an unseen force, making him fly back into the air. He came down hard onto the road, several yards away, rolling along the hard and uneven gravel. Caleb walked over to the back of the truck and spotted an old trunk. He smiled victoriously to himself, believing he had found the spot where this imbecile had hidden his bone.

At that same time, cut up and bruised, the echidna groaned, rolling over onto his side before starting to chuckle lowly to himself. Confused, Caleb looked in his direction. "Why are you laughing?"

Painfully, he sat upright. "Just 'cause I know something that you don't," he grinned mischievously.

Caleb's brows furrowed. "And what's that?"

The echidna whipped out a small handgun from the inside of his sports jacket and aimed it towards his truck that Caleb stood next to. "I packed that trunk full of C-4." He shot one bullet, aiming for the trunk in the back of his car and successfully hit it.

Instantly, the truck exploded and combusted into a gulf of orange flames. The fire enveloped his entire vehicle along with taking out Caleb.

•~•

Back in the witch purgatory, Sally was still wrapping her head around the fact that they may not be able to defeat Infinite. "If this thing is so powerful and it can't be destroyed, then why bring us here in the first place?" Sally interrogated. "Why tell us all of this?"

Ivy sighed. "The ancestors needed you to know-"

Shadow stood up from his seat, approaching the two. "Please inform the ancestors that they're a colossal waste of my time," he commented in disappointment. "I've been alive a thousand years and I've never met anything I couldn't kill," he reminded. "Therefore, we will defeat this pathetic phantom, as well."

"I mean, I don't even understand why this guy is coming to take out his anger on us," Sally reasoned. It was his tribe that turned him into this thing. They should have tried to stop him."

"Dear child, you don't think they tried?" Ivy countered. "All they wanted was to undo what their magic did." Her eyes drifted over to her son. "Sound familiar Shadow?" Shadow locked eyes with her momentarily, remaining quiet before looking away. The story was awfully similar to how Ivy had basically created Shadow as an unstoppable, reckoning force of nature. By turning her family into vampires, she had also tried to find the means to put her own children down when she saw their destructiveness.

 **~Continuation Flashback 2000 Years Ago~**

Now ten years old, Zero, stood in the middle of a large field, watching the devastation he had brought on. In the distance, he smiled darkly as he watched his old village burn down to the ground. His tribemates screamed and frantically ran around camp, trying to put out the large flames. He watched as some of his family members ran around fully engulfed in flames, writing in the painful death.

" _He loved the fear he inspired in others. His people knew him as ruthless, unfeeling, and empty. Until that became his defining quality."_

Zero smiled wickedly, relishing in the destruction he had caused. He felt a warmth in the pit of his stomach by his evil undoings.

~End Flashback: Back to Present Time~

"…He killed them," Sally whispered, horrified by the outcome.

Ivy nodded solemnly. "Not because they hurt him or were unkind. He did it for fun."

"Well, to be fair, we all have our bad days," Shadow piped in dryly.

Ivy marched towards her son, growing tired of his sanctimonious attitude. "You think this is some sort of joke?"

He smirked, unfazed by her annoyance. "No, but it is a trifle tedious. Perhaps you could get to the bit of the story that might be of some use to us," he suggested.

She stood inches away from him, looking him dead in the eye with fearlessness. "You want to defeat Infinite?" she asked slowly. "Well, he only has one weakness."

He smirked even more; amused that he had managed to push her buttons. "You have my undivided attention, mother. Now, what is it?"

Ivy pried her eyes away from looking at Shadow, and looked over her shoulder at Sally, who was also eager to hear about their Hail Mary. "You…"

Sally blinked in surprise. "Me?" she pointed towards her chest.

Ivy turned away from Shadow and walked towards her with hopefulness. "You're the one chance we have."

Shadow furrowed his brows by her comment. "What the hell does that mean?"

Ivy whipped back around to face her son. "I'm done talking to you," she spoke with venom. With that, she grabbed Sally by the wrist, suddenly vanishing into thin air.

Shadow looked around the purgatory he was stuck in, trying to determine their new location. "Mother?" He marched down the aisle with urgency, looking towards the second floor. "Mother!" he screamed, hearing his own voice echo around him. It was too late. They were gone.

•~•


	40. History

**AN:** Once again, sorry for the long wait for another update. I finally finished teaching for the school year and now I'm on break. I just got back from a cruise yesterday and I'm back to writing again. I hope you enjoy this lengthy chapter!

•~•

After receiving a text message to shift their meet up location, Sonic and Silver pulled their car off to the side of the road, surprised to see the charred remains of a car in the middle of the road. Sonic hopped out his car and rushed over to his friend. "Knuckles!" he exclaimed with concern. "Bro, are you okay?"

Knuckle waved a hand with a sheepish grin plastered on his face. He was a bit banged up and had a few minor cuts, bruises, and was filthy. "Hey, thanks for coming! It would have been a long walk to Station Square," he joked.

Following closely behind Sonic, Silver looked the echidna up and down, skeptical of his intelligence level. He didn't quite give off someone with a high IQ, but he did bear the body type of a hunter. He was fit, muscular in all the right places, and fit the stereotype of one. "Don't tell me this is your _expert_ Amy and you speak so highly of?" Silver mumbled under his breath.

Knuckles shot the white hedgehog a look. "Nice to meet you too, _friend_ ," he rebutted passively.

"Crap, I almost forgot introductions," Sonic scolded himself. He placed a hand on Knuckle's shoulder. "Knux, this is Silver," he gestured towards the other hedgehog. "And Silver, this is Knuckles."

"Lovely to meet you," Silver replied half-assed.

Knuckles rolled his eyes at Silver's sanctimonious attitude. "Yeah, of course."

"Anyway," Sonic interrupted seeing their meeting wasn't going smoothly. "What happened here, Knux?"

He glanced over at his burnt vehicle. "Well, aside me forfeiting my lease, I blew up some vampire, witch, werewolf guy when he tried to take the bone," he answered.

"What did he look like," Silver inquired, curious to get more details.

"Oh, he was a scruffy looking dingo, possible late-thirties?" Knuckles conjectured. "He had on a blue denim jacket, long cargo pants, and brown boots," he listed.

The color drained from Sonic's face by the description. "…Caleb?" he gawked. "That means Infinite's inside Caleb, probably possessing him…"

"He's been trying to use all of us," Silver added.

Sonic did a few paces, trying to work up a new plan. He tapped the side of his chin. "Alright, we got to find a way to save him."

"…Or put him out of his misery," Silver mumbled.

Sonic did a double take, looking taken aback by what he heard. "I'm sorry, what? Did I hear that right?"

Silver shrugged innocently, not ashamed of what he had suggested. "I'm just saying; it may be the only way."

"Yeah sure, why try to save someone when you can just kill them?" he said sarcastically. "We all know that if it happened to be someone you loved or cared about, you'd do everything in your power to find a way," he shouted, pointing a rough finger into his chest.

"Hey, Sonic," Knuckles cut off, seeing a fight brewing. "I love a good grudge just as much as the next guy, but do you wanna stand around whining about your friend, or do you want to talk about where the _other_ bones might be?"

"What?" Sonic blinked in puzzlement.

"One of my interns did some research and found another bloodline that was guarding the bone. Unfortunately, their line died out but it is believed to be buried in a tomb with one of the family members."

"Where?" Silver questioned.

"Black Clay Cemetery on the outskirts of Mercia," he replied.

"Who knows if Caleb is aware of its location, either way, we need to get a head start."

The two hedgehogs rushed towards their vehicle while Knuckles limped behind them, groaning slightly. "Hey fellas, mind if you drop me off at the closest ER on the way?" he grinned.

•~•

Coming back to in the real world, Sally shot upright from her lying position on the floor. She panted, trying to take in her surroundings, but realized she was back in the real world and no longer in that purgatory. She looked at Ivy who appeared to her in the flesh within the spell circle. "What the hell?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "This is what's needed if we want to stop Infinite."

"Wait, you don't need Shadow involved?" she asked baffled.

"No," she snapped quickly. "We only need you," she smiled softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She tilted her head. "Uh, why only me?"

"It all comes down to the bloodline," she made clear. "That's the only thing that worked against him."

 **~Continuation Flashback 2000 Years Ago~**

" _When his evil became too great to bear, the tribes united to defeat him."_

Now 18 years old, Zero walked through the tall grass in the dead of night, knowing that he was being followed. Members of his mother and father's tribe stalked the young male, trying to find their moment to strike. Feeling them circling and closing in on him, Zero stopped dead in his tracks and looked around his environment. All he heard were the crickets playing their soothing melody but smirked when a group of hunters emerged, rising from their hiding positions within the tall grass. They each held their weapons of choice: spears, bows, and arrows, pointed in his direction.

Zero said no words and instead violently lifted his right arm into the air and formed a fist. All of the tribe members felt their spines ripped from their bodies, making a gruesome crack and gush. Their bodies dropped in unison causing him to cackle maniacally. However, before he could gloat and take in his victory, a figure came up from behind him and wrapped an enchanted rope around his neck, strangling him. He grunted and thrashed in their hold, desperate to escape.

" _Tribe elders managed to capture him using mystical bindings. But even with all that power, Zero was too strong…Death seemed the only solution."_

Once they returned him to camp, they kept him restrained on his back on the ground, one binding on each arm and leg. A tribe member held each enchanted rope, keeping him restrained. Zero thrashed at the bindings while his entire tribe surrounded him, looking on in disappointment and hatred.

 _"Four of the strongest elders each imbued a part of their magic into a mighty ax."_

The elders passed an ax around, allowing each to embed their magic into the weapon. Zero watched on, knowing where this was headed. "Release me!" he bellowed.

" _When the weapon was ready, they relied on his mother, the one who gave his life to be the one to take his life."_

Trembling in sadness and fear, Zero's mother walked towards him, wielding the ax tightly in her hands. Tears ran down her face as she lifted the ax above her head, ready to chop off her own son's head and end his life.

"… _But before she could kill her child, Zero cast a final spell. One powered by his own death."_

He grunted, feeling the rope become tighter around his throat. He locked eyes with his mother. "On every full moon, you will suffer the fate of the beast you believed I was. The pain will be unbearable as you live the life a true monster."

Not wanting to hear anymore, his mother brought the weapon down, severing her child's head and decapitating him. Blood splattered in all directions and many gasped by the atrocity.

 _"…A curse was placed upon all present that night. He bound them to the full moon so that once a month, they would turn into the very monster they believed he was."_

Now covered in her child's blood, Zero's mother looked up to the sky, staring at the full moon that came out from behind the clouds. She screamed out in agony, feeling her bones begin to crack painfully, one by one. Sharp fangs formed in her mouth and her eyes glowed a bright yellow. The rest of the tribe screamed out as well, feeling similar effects take place.

 **~End Flashback: Back to Present Time~**

"Infinite created the werewolf curse," Sally said in realization.

Ivy nodded. "You are the only one left of your lineage, correct?"

Sally bowed her head sadly from the reminder. "Yes, over the years, most of my family has been wiped out by hunters, tragedy, accidents, or suicide… They used to say our pack was truly cursed…I'm the only one left."

"Infinite is from the same pack you come from and so was his mother," she specified. "It was your line that began it all and yours alone that still has power over Infinite to end him."

Suddenly everything was starting to make sense. The hunters that seemed so obsessed with trying to track and kill her—all the strange murders or accidents that had happened to members in her family over her lifetime. Perhaps they weren't truly accidents but were actually intentional. "That's why we've been inundated with hunters coming after me and our pack…"

"Exactly," she concurred. "He fears you and wants you dead. Now, at this moment the ancestors can't find Infinite, which means, he's chosen a host," Ivy explained. "If you can track him down, you can fight him."

She blinked in surprise. "How exactly?"

"Your blood is his weakness, so use it against him. Once his spirit is freed from his host, I can use Shadow to cast a spell to imprison Infinite for good," she explained.

Sally felt a buzz in her denim vest and pulled out her phone. Inside she spotted a text from Sonic explaining everything they had discovered.

Seeing her concentration on reading the message, Ivy became intrigued. "What is it, dear?"

"It's a text from Sonic. Apparently, Caleb is the one being possessed by Infinite. They are at the location where the next bone is hidden," she answered.

"This is your opportunity then. You must go," she encouraged.

Sally looked down at Shadow's unconscious body apprehensively. She didn't want to abandon him here. What if Ivy was lying and would actually hurt him in her absence? Sensing her hesitancy, Ivy pulled her attention back towards her.

Ivy placed a hand over her heart. "Remember, Sally, this won't work if you don't trust me."

"Alright, but please take care of Shadow in my absence. Amy would kill me if she found out something bad happened to him."

"Of course," Ivy bowed respectfully.

Sally ran out of the church, determined to figure out a way to track down Infinite in hiding. Once she was gone, Ivy looked over to the Harvest girls standing obediently in the background. "You know what to do," she encouraged. Without another word, they walked off to get supplies for their next move.

•~•

After dropping off Knuckles at the hospital, Silver and Sonic resumed their search for their next bone. They arrived at the new cemetery and scoped the grounds to find the bloodline that had guarded one of the final bones. After twenty minutes of searching, Silver stared at one of the wall tombs in deep thought. "I think this might be the one," he finally spoke.

Hearing his certainty, Sonic approached him and looked at the name. "Clarissa, huh?"

"I just have a feeling," he shrugged.

"Okay, let's take a look." Sonic took a few steps back and brought his arm back with him. Quickly, he brought it forward and punched a hole straight through the concrete. Bits of rubble crumbled down and around his arm as he fumbled around inside. He pulled at the remainder of the rock blocking their view, revealing a single leg bone lying in wait on top of a coffin.

"And there's our bone," Silver noted.

Sonic reached in and took the bone in his hands, but froze when he heard a very demanding snap of the fingers. He turned and looked only to see Silver stood directly behind him with his left arm held out, demanding to be handed the bone. "Now, give it to me," he ordered softly.

Sonic looked long and hard out at his offered hand before looking back to his eyes. "Yeah, about that. I don't think that's a very good idea, man."

Silver was starting to lose his patience. "I'm not going to ask you again, Sonic."

"You have one of the bones already," he reminded. "The smart play would be to keep them divided, yet still in the hands of an ally you trust."

Growing frustrated, Silver used his vampire speed to grab Sonic and smash him up against one of the nearby walls. He kept a tight hand coiled around the blue hedgehog's throat causing him to grimace. "Careful, Silver," Sonic grinned, remaining unfazed. "Your true colors are starting to show," he chuckled, despite losing oxygen.

"Shut your mouth," he seethed, glaring into his viridian eyes.

"What are you trying to prove here?" he panted. "You trying to be the poster boy for violence first?" he cracked.

Absorbing his words, Silver faltered in his kill stance. He released his hold on Sonic's throat, allowing him to breathe again. Sonic moved away from the wall he was held against, rubbing at his throat with one hand, while he held the bone with the other. "Damn, they weren't kidding when they said you _changed_ …"

Suddenly, footsteps approached in the distance near the entrance of the mausoleum, and an evident male chuckle echoed in the building. Sonic and Silver stood and watched the entrance, expecting their new arrival. Finally, Caleb appeared from around the corner, looking as sinister as ever. "You two should know better than to fight one another," he tsked, taking a few steps down the stairs. "After all, your prize already belongs to me."

Sonic took a few cautious steps forward. "Caleb, I know you're still in there."

"He is," Caleb confirmed. "Strong soul rattling around in a dying shell, but like all the rest of you, he's nothing compared to me. Now, one last time, give me what I seek," he commanded.

Silver bared his fangs. "Why don't you come and get it," he goaded.

Caleb smirked, amused by their fearlessness. "Fair enough, so long as you're prepared to die," he noted. He brought his hand up and wafted it to the left, causing Silver to be violently thrown against one wall.

While he was distracted with keeping Silver subdued, Sonic went in to attack, but Caleb grabbed him by his throat as he neared and chucked him in the opposite direction, forcing him against the wall. Sonic grunted as he made an impact with the wall, dropping the bone in the process.

"Now the game comes to an end," he chuckled darkly. However, he tensed up when he felt another presence nearby. He spun around only to see Sally standing there defiantly.

Sally marched down the steps to confront him. "Not just yet!"

•~•

In the meantime, in purgatory, Shadow idly walked around the prison world, growing anxious with lack of communication with his mother. He had no idea where she had gone and taken Sally. For all he knew, she could very well be dead and there was nothing he could do to help. Coming out of his grim thoughts, he spun around when he noticed his mother had reappeared in the realm to join him. He stormed towards her. "What have you done with Sally?"

"Calm down, I sent her to save us all," she replied.

"Really?" he responded skeptically. "Or is this your idea of revenge? Holding me captive here?" he pointed.

"I don't care about revenge, Shadow," she snapped. "I'm a witch and I will protect my home. Not just for me, but for my granddaughter, too," she added.

"Release me."

"No, I need you here. You see…we have the same problem that the tribes did. After the tribe killed Zero, his spirit became more powerful. He haunted them."

"The red lights?" Shadow surmised.

"Yes," she nodded. "So they burned his remains, but not all the pieces could be destroyed. As long as those pieces were together, his power only grew. The indestructible bones were distributed among four families. Each was charged with keeping the bones apart so that they would never come together again."

"Yes, yes," he droned. "Very interesting but what does this have to do with me?"

"Now that he's free, he won't stop until those pieces are gathered."

"Well, then put him back in the prison that held him for the last eon," he instructed passively.

"I will," she replied, before turning her back on her son. "And that's what you're here for…"

Shadow cocked his head by her response. "Excuse me?"

•~•

Back with Sally, Sonic, Silver, and Caleb, Sally faced off with Infinite inhabiting Caleb's body.

Still rendered helpless by a force against the ground, Sonic weakly looked up after hearing a familiar voice. "Sal, is that you?"

Trying to free his hold over the invisible force, Silver was unable to pry himself away from the wall. "Yeah," he grunted. "It's her."

Caleb watched as Sally pulled out a switchblade and dragged it across her hand, drawing blood. With a swift movement, she stabbed the knife coated in her blood into his upper thigh with quick precision. Caleb hissed and stepped back, putting a hand to his injury. "Hurts, huh?" Sally smirked triumphantly. "My blood?"

Caleb only chuckled lowly as he recovered from her minor attack. He lifted both arms up and then brought them down swiftly, causing Sally's legs to give way, forcing her into a kneeling position. "Aahh!" she screamed.

Caleb watched her writhe on the floor. "Whoever told you how to destroy me left a little something out…" He sent another wave of energy out, making Sally scream out from the pain he inflicted. It felt like something heavy was on top of her, suffocating and crushing her body. Sonic and Silver watched on, rendered helpless themselves and unable to assist her. "Trapping me requires the release of power. You know, the kind you get when you sacrifice the life of an immortal?"

•~•

At that same time in purgatory, Shadow was starting to piece things together. He walked up behind his mother and spun her around to face him. "So you channel my power and you imprison Infinite, but how long exactly am I to play battery?" he inquired suspiciously.

Ivy chuckled lowly. "You still don't get it, do you, Shadow? You're not a battery, you're a sacrifice," she corrected with a Cheshire cat smile.

Shadow's bold bravado, faded the moment those words left her mouth. He was trapped inside a world where his powers were nullified and he had no way of sending for help. He was doomed.

•~•

Back in the mausoleum, Caleb looked at the three kept restrained on the floor with his magic. "Tell me, which of you will die to stop me?" Caleb beseeched.

"No one is dying today," Sonic grumbled.

"Well, then I guess we're done," he smirked. With that, he leaned over and grabbed the bone off the floor before vanishing into thin air.

Once he was gone, Sally rolled over on her side, grunting. Silver got up and dusted himself off. Sonic rushed over to Sally and extended a hand towards her. "Sal, are you okay?"

She allowed him to pull her back upright and shot him a smile. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Silver eyed her in confusion. "I thought you were supposed to be with my brother. What happened?"

"I was but one of the ancestors gave us a clue to killing Infinite," she said before pausing as something dawned on. "Speaking of which, I think someone really is going to die."

Sonic cocked a brow at his wife. "What do you mean?"

Sally looked over to Silver. "Your mother…she has Shadow with her."

"Wait—my mother?" Silver parroted in alarm. "Crap," he cursed. "If the ancestors need a sacrifice to put Infinite down for good, my mother will not hesitate…"

•~•

Back in purgatory, Shadow did his best to stall for time. "So to cage Infinite, you need to kill me?" he questioned with suspicion. "It's a bit convenient, isn't it?"

"I helped break the link to the Ancestors which is how Infinite escaped. If you have to blame someone, blame me. I don't care," she shrugged. "You're going to die a slow, painful death."

He narrowed his ruby eyes towards her. "Mother…"

"—I'm sorry," she said cutting him off. Ivy lifted her right hand out towards him. "The best I can do is make it a little easier for you."

Suddenly, everything around him started to feel very heavy. His head began to spin and the world shifted. "Mother, stop," he pleaded before he collapsed to the floor, unconscious in purgatory.

•~•

At that same time, at the motel, Faith sat near the window reading a book until she felt a chill in the air. She looked up from her reading to focus on the voices she could hear within her mind. She heard her father pleading for his life.

" _Mother, stop."_

Lying on one of the beds and reading herself, Faith ran over to Amy and yanked on her left wrist. "Mommy, we need to go help daddy!" she begged frantically.

Amy looked down at her daughter, troubled by her words. "Sweetie, what are you talking about?"

Faith yanked harder, forcing Amy to rise off the bed. "C'mon, mommy. Daddy is in trouble, I need to go rescue him!"

Faith managed to guide her mother to the front door of their motel. "How do you know?"

She reached for the doorknob. "I can hear his voice," she answered. "He's with the ancestors and they're trying to hurt him!"

Believing her daughter's words, Amy lifted Faith up into her arms and used her vampire speed to whisk them to the church.

•~•

Thankfully, Sonic, Sally, and Silver arrived at the church in the knick of time. Silver stopped just outside the church, refusing to go any further. "I'll leave this next part to you two," he instructed.

"You're not coming?" Silver gestured.

He shook his head. "No, I believe I've done enough meddling with the ancestors. I don't want to upset them any further by going inside."

"We'll save your brother," Sonic vowed. With that said, the couple entered the church, spotting Shadow's unresponsive body still trapped in the chalk-drawn triangle.

"Ivy?" Sally called out as they walked down the aisle towards Shadow.

Appearing in the flesh, within the triangle, Ivy stood boldly before her son's body. "Don't try to stop me now. Because if I don't kill Shadow, if I don't put down Infinite, he'll come for all of you," she threatened. "He'll burn down this entire city!"

"Ivy, please!" Sally cut off, taking a few cautious steps closer.

"For real," Sonic added. "There's gotta be another way."

"No," she denied. "He's lived more than ten lifetimes, he should die," she reasoned.

Sally shook her head pleadingly. "No, please, he's Faith's father!"

"She'll still have her mother," Ivy argued. "But if we don't stop Infinite, then Faith will die, too," she shouted in absolute certainty.

After eavesdropping in on the conversation outside long enough, the doors to the church burst open, and Silver came running down the aisle towards them. "Wait, take me instead," he volunteered. Everyone looked surprised by the call.

Ivy shook her head. "It's too late. Shadow will die."

He pressed his hands against the invisible force keeping Shadow and Ivy bound from escaping. "Please, Faith needs her mother and father alive. I'm willing to sacrifice myself if that means she can grow up with both parents."

Sonic looked dumbfounded by the alleged noble act. "What about Blaze? Aren't you going to consider her in all this You'd be leaving behind your wife…"

He looked over his shoulder at the other hedgehog. "Blaze doesn't love me anymore. She won't miss me…"

"That's a shame, but I can't blame her," Ivy noted, before snapping her fingers and pushing Silver back. He fell on his butt and collided into Sally and Sonic. The two nearly toppled over from the shove but managed to stabilize themselves.

Ivy knelt down to Shadow's body on the floor. She extended her hands just a few inches above his head. "Now, allow me to finish draining his life force."

"—No!" a small voice shouted from the back of the church.

Everyone turned only to spot Faith standing in the doorway with her mother standing behind her. Amy's eyes widened in horror when she saw the state her husband was currently in. She gasped, "Shadow…"

Faith glared at Ivy standing over her father's body. "You promised to help, but you're not helping, you're hurting us," she said in disappointment. "And I won't let you." Faith brought her right fist out and punched the air, causing a powerful wind to cascade through the entire church in a wave-like motion.

Those in its crosshair felt its effects. Sally held onto Sonic, bracing herself from the powerful winds. Even Ivy stumbled back, amazed by her granddaughter's strength. However, she panicked when she saw the chalk triangle containing both her and her son, being swept away by the winds. If the chalk was completely wiped away, she would be kicked out from being able to tether herself to their world to complete the spell. "Please, child, you must stop!" Ivy screamed over the powerful winds.

Even Amy tried to reach out to her daughter, worrying this may be too much power for her to channel on her own. "Faith!"

Ignoring the pleas to stop, Faith furrowed her brows even more by her own defiance. "No, now go away!" she shouted and clapped both of her hands together.

After her hands met together, the winds ceased and Ivy disappeared in the blink of the eye, no longer tethered between their world and hers. Sally and Sonic looked behind them as they heard Shadow begin to stir. Shadow grumbled as he sat upright, pinching the bridge of his nose. Faith beamed at the sight of her father in good health and rushed down the aisle towards him.

The group moved apart, allowing her to get through and leap into her father's arms. Startled by her appearance, he held his daughter close as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Amy came rushing down the aisle and embraced her family, happy to see them all alive and well. Sonic and Sally, in the meantime, smiled at the reunion amongst the family.

•~•

Later, once finally returning to their real home, Faith entertained their new guest who had dropped by just to check in on everything. Faith sat in the living room of their home with some magic totems and items to show off her knowledge. Knuckles watched as the young girl laid out assorted crystals, herbs, and rocks on the coffee table. "My dad said you and some of your friends study this stuff," she started.

"Yeah, that's right," he confirmed. "There are a lot of amazing things in the world to study.

"I can't wait to explore the world," she daydreamed.

"Well, one day you'll get the chance," he smiled. "Now, what do you have here?" he asked, observing the objects laid across the coffee table.

"These are for serenity," she explained pointing to the purple crystal. "And this one is for stillness," she gestured towards a dead oak leaf.

"Wow, did you teach yourself all that?" he questioned, quite impressed with her knowledge for her age.

She tucked her arms behind her back and looked up at the male. "I read about it in one of my aunt's books. She's helping me learn, but some stuff I figured out on my own."

"I gotta admit, kid, that is pretty impressive," he nodded with a smile.

"—She's an impressive young lady," another voice piped in. The two of them turned only to see Amy enter the living room with a tray of assorted cookies. Faith's interest peaked at the tasty baked treats being brought towards them.

"It was good meeting you, Faith. I'll be seeing you around," he smiled. Once finishing his goodbyes, Knuckles departed from the living room, leaving Faith alone with her mother.

The young pink witch looked up at the tray of desserts curiously. "Those for me?"

"Yes," Amy chuckled. "After what you did today, your dad compelled the entire bakery downtown to bake you a batch of your favorite cookies."

Faith laughed at the thought, but then faltered in her smile as another thought came across her mind. "Daddy seemed sad after I rescued him." She reached for one of the cookies. "Did I do something wrong?"

Amy watched as her daughter took a bite of the sugary treat. "I think he wanted to be the one doing the helping today. However, we both agreed on one thing: you were very, very brave," she commended with a smile.

Faith blushed by the compliment. "I just thought about what you would do. It's like you always say, if we stick together, nothing can hurt us. Always and forever," she quoted sweetly.

•~•

Out on their front porch, Shadow soothed his stress with a hard drink. He drank some scotch out of a small glass as he looked up at the night sky. Unfortunately, his time to meditate would be ended when another figure came up behind him. Shadow sighed, recognizing the presence. "I suppose I owe you thanks."

"Hey, I've heard about your reputation." Knuckles crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Staying the hell out of Mercia is all the thanks I need," he smirked.

Shadow turned around to face the red echidna. He leaned his back up against the railing to the porch. "Well, then perhaps we should forgo a trip down memory lane."

"Look, I just want to give you a heads up about an observation I made on your daughter."

"Oh?" Shadow asked with intrigue.

"You're not gonna be able to keep Faith locked up much longer, and I'm guessing you know that…"

Shadow sighed regrettably in agreement. "What is your suggestion then? I know you have one coming."

"My cousin and I have built a school for kids like Faith. It's a place for kids with supernatural leanings, just like her. Many children are thriving there. They are learning to use their powers for good, and to embrace their identities without fear," he smiled. Shadow stared at Knuckles in thought, it sounded like a good idea, but could he allow her to go away to some boarding school without his watchful eye? Seeing his hesitancy on the idea, Knuckles patted Shadow on the shoulder. "Faith would always be welcome there if you're interested—whenever that is," he added.

•~•

In her bedroom, Blaze looked at her reflection in the mirror as she smoothed out her pajamas for the night. Hearing footsteps approach, she turned only to spot Silver standing in the doorway to their bedroom. "What were you thinking today?"

Silver stepped further into the room. "What are you talking about?"

"You can't act like you want a future with me and then offer yourself up to die," she berated.

"Survival demands sacrifice," he stated factually.

"There is always another way, Silver," she reprimanded.

Silver scoffed. "There wasn't time for another way," he corrected.

"Well, Faith needs you," she argued

He shook his head, denying her argument. "Faith needs her _father._ "

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms and turning away from him in defeat. Her ears went flat against her head. "…I need you."

Silver froze in place, shocked at what he had just heard his wife say. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me," she mumbled before turning around to look at him again.

Silver approached her. "I thought it was over between us, are you suggesting we start over again?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, I-I love you, but we've got to figure out a way to fight and win and still have something that I recognize as a good life."

He wrapped his arms around his wife from behind and kissed her on the cheek. Blaze relished in his embrace. "When we end this war, I will promise you that I will never be this person again," he pledged.

Believing his words in that moment, she turned to face him and gave him a soft kiss. "Thank you," she smiled.

"Wonderful," he breathed in relief. "Now, there's just one last thing I must do."

•~•

Taking a walk around the block, Silver dwelled in deep contemplation with the right steps he was taking in mending his relationship with his wife. However, he

froze when he picked up on a presence looming behind him. He turned around, looking in every direction for the unknown follower. Every direction he looked he spotted empty driveways, empty sidewalks, and empty alleyways.

Relaxing his tense stance, he backed up just as he felt a painful stab to his spine. A sharp stake wrapped with the poisonous vine drove into his back. The hand that pushed it in further placed another hand on his shoulder from behind as Silver was immobilized by intense pain. The figure revealed themselves to be none other than Infinite in Caleb's body. He smirked behind him. "Are you ready to die, Silver?" Silver could only wince, unable to utter a response. "Because I'm quite ready to live."


End file.
